The Hearts of Age

Plot

The Hearts of Age is a surreal eight-minute experimental short film that presents a series of enigmatic tableaus. The film opens with an elderly woman positioned atop a large church bell while a man in blackface, wearing a wig and livery, pulls the bell rope. From an upper door emerges an old man dressed as a dandy, who tips his hat to the woman before descending the stairs with an unsettling grin. The sequence repeats with various characters including a shabby man and a police officer, while the man in blackface eventually hangs himself. The dandy continues to smile throughout these morbid events, later playing piano in darkness as the film suggests he may represent Death itself, with tolling bells and an open grave serving as recurring motifs of mortality.

Historical Background

The Hearts of Age was created in 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression in America. This period saw significant experimentation in the arts as artists sought new ways to express the anxiety and uncertainty of the era. The film reflects the influence of European surrealist and expressionist cinema that was beginning to reach American audiences. At the same time, Hollywood was transitioning from silent films to talkies, and the studio system was consolidating its power. Against this backdrop, Welles' student film represents an independent, experimental approach that stood in stark contrast to mainstream commercial cinema. The year 1934 also saw the enforcement of the Hays Production Code, which would heavily influence American film content for decades to come, making Welles' avant-garde approach particularly notable.

Making Of

The Hearts of Age was created as part of Welles' studies at the Todd School for Boys, where he was a student under the tutelage of Roger Hill, the school's headmaster who recognized and nurtured Welles' theatrical talents. The film was made with the school's basic 16mm camera equipment, with Welles and Vance handling all aspects of production from writing to directing to editing. The cast consisted primarily of fellow students and faculty members, with Welles himself taking on multiple roles. The film's surreal and experimental nature reflected Welles' early interest in avant-garde theater and European art cinema, particularly the works of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Despite its amateur production values, the film demonstrates Welles' early mastery of visual composition and his willingness to challenge conventional narrative forms.

Visual Style

The cinematography of The Hearts of Age was rudimentary but effective, utilizing the basic 16mm camera equipment available at the Todd School. Despite these technical limitations, Welles demonstrated an early understanding of visual composition, using high and low angles to create dramatic tension. The film employs stark contrasts between light and shadow, prefiguring the dramatic lighting techniques that would characterize his later work. The camera work is static for the most part, reflecting both the technical constraints and the theatrical tableau style of the piece. The framing of the bell tower sequence shows Welles' early grasp of vertical composition, while the repeated descent of characters down the stairs creates a rhythmic visual motif that reinforces the film's themes of mortality and repetition.

Innovations

While The Hearts of Age lacks the technical polish of professional productions, it demonstrates several notable achievements for a student film made in 1934. The film's use of multiple costumes and makeup effects, including the controversial blackface, shows resourcefulness with limited materials. The construction of the bell tower set, though crude, effectively creates the desired visual impact. The film's editing, particularly the repetition of characters descending the stairs, shows an early understanding of rhythmic montage. Perhaps most significantly, the film's survival and preservation over nearly nine decades is itself a technical achievement, given the fragility of 16mm film stock from that era. The film's restoration has allowed modern audiences to study Welles' earliest directorial efforts.

Music

As a silent film, The Hearts of Age contains no synchronized dialogue or musical score. The original screenings would have been accompanied by live piano music, typical of silent film presentations of the era. The sound design relies entirely on diegetic sounds, most notably the tolling of the bell that serves as a recurring motif throughout the film. The absence of a conventional soundtrack enhances the film's surreal and dreamlike quality, forcing viewers to focus entirely on the visual symbolism. In modern restorations, some versions have been accompanied by period-appropriate piano music, but the original intent was likely for silent viewing with live musical accompaniment.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening tableau with the elderly woman astride the bell while the blackface figure pulls the rope
• The repeated descent of the dandy character down the stairs with his unsettling grin
• The hanging of the blackface character while the dandy continues to smile
• The final scene of the dandy playing piano in darkness, suggesting his identity as Death

What Critics Said

Upon its initial release, The Hearts of Age received virtually no critical attention, as it was a student film with limited circulation. Contemporary critics who have since examined the film generally view it as an interesting but immature work that shows early signs of Welles' talent. Many critics note the film's heavy-handed symbolism and its problematic use of blackface, while acknowledging its historical importance as Welles' first directorial effort. Film historian James Naremore has described it as 'a juvenile exercise in surrealist symbolism,' while other scholars have pointed out its visual sophistication relative to other student films of the era. The film is now primarily studied as a historical artifact rather than as a standalone artistic achievement.

What Audiences Thought

The Hearts of Age had virtually no audience upon its initial release, as it was a student project shown only within the Todd School community. In the decades following Welles' rise to fame, the film gained a cult following among cinephiles and Welles scholars who sought out this early work. Modern audiences who view the film often find it confusing or dated, particularly due to its surreal imagery and controversial elements. However, those familiar with Welles' oeuvre generally appreciate seeing the embryonic stages of his directorial style. The film is now primarily viewed in academic settings or as part of Welles retrospectives, where it serves as a historical curiosity rather than entertainment.

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