''Opus IV'' is a 1925 German

absolute film Non-narrative film is an aesthetic of cinematic film that does not narrate, or relate "an event, whether real or imaginary". It is usually a form of art film or experimental film, not made for mass entertainment. Narrative film is the dominant ae ...

directed by Walter Ruttmann. The film is approximately 3m 55s in length. It uses

abstract animation Non-narrative film is an aesthetic of cinematic film that does not narrate, or relate "an event, whether real or imaginary". It is usually a form of art film or experimental film, not made for mass entertainment. Narrative film is the dominant ae ...

. The film is the final installment in the “Lichtspiel” (German for “light show”). The Opus films are famous for using

geometric shape A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type. A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie on ...

s, basic lines, and abstraction to create optical images, then taking the

optical art Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op artworks are abstract, with many better-known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, ...

, along with rhythm and editing, to imply movement. Along with the Film Ist Rhythm series, the Lichtspiel film series is one of the earliest examples of absolute film. Those films contain a stronger resemblance to

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

s than their other Absolute counterparts.

Release

On 3 May 1925 the Sunday matinee program ''Der absolute Film'' took place in the UFA-Palast theater at the Kurfurstendamm in Berlin. Its 900 seats soon sold out and the program was repeated a week later. Viking Eggeling's '' Symphonie diagonale'', Hans Richter's ''

Rhythmus 21 ''Rhythmus 21'' is a 1921 German absolute film directed by Hans Richter. ''Rhythmus 21'' was made in black and white, and spans for approximately 3 minutes. The film is the first installment of Richter's Film Ist Rhythm series and is considered ...

'' and ''Rhythmus 23'', Walter Ruttmann's ''Opus II'', ''Opus III'' and ''Opus IV'' were all shown publicly for the first time in Germany, along with the two French dadaist cinéma pur films '' Ballet Mécanique'' and

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

's ''

Entr'acte (or ', ;Since 1932–35 the French Academy recommends this spelling, with no apostrophe, so historical, ceremonial and traditional uses (such as the 1924 René Clair film title) are still spelled ''Entr'acte''. German: ' and ', Italian: ''inte ...

'', and Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack's performance with a type of color organ. Eggeling happened to die a few days later.

Adaptation

An adaptation of ''Opus IV'' has been proposed in 2023. In said version, some of Ruttmann's shapes have been made transparent, and video frames depicting the moon have been overlapped. A soundtrack has also been added, and the video has been sped up to match the duration of the soundtrack.

References

External links

* 1925 films 1925 animated films 1925 short films 1920s animated short films 1920s avant-garde and experimental films Films directed by Walter Ruttmann Non-narrative films Abstract animation {{experimental-film-stub