''Pas de deux'' (released as ''Duo'' in the United States) is a 1968 short

dance film A dance film (also known as screen dance) is a film in which dance is used to reveal the central themes of the film, whether these themes be connected to narrative or story, states of being, or more experimental and formal concerns. In such films, ...

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

, produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. The film was photographed on

high contrast Lincoln Barrett (born 18 September 1979), better known by the stage name High Contrast, is a Welsh electronic music producer, DJ and record producer. He produces drum and bass music, and his 2009 album ''Confidential'' reached BPI gold cer ...

stock, with optical, step-and-repeat printing, for a sensuous and almost stroboscopic appearance. It shows a ballerina (Margaret Mercier) dancing by herself (or rather, with images of herself), before being joined by a male dancer (

Vincent Warren Vincent de Paul Warren, (August 31, 1938 – October 25, 2017) was a Canadian dance historian and lecturer. After a distinguished career as a ballet dancer and teacher, he became widely known and respected as a historian and archivist. He is cele ...

), to perform the ''

pas de deux In ballet, a pas de deux (French language, French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be fo ...

'' of the title, as choreographed by

Ludmilla Chiriaeff Ludmilla Chiriaeff (January 10, 1924 – September 22, 1996) was a Latvian-Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director. Biography Ludmilla Alexandrovna Otsup was born in Riga to a Russian-Jewish father Alexandr Otsup ...

. The film is choreographed to

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

pan pipe music.

Awards

''Pas de deux'' received 17 awards, including the 1969 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, as ''Duo''Bafta Home - The BAFTA site
/ref> and the Golden Sheaf Award for Best of Festival at the 1969

Yorkton Film Festival Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

References

*Collins, Maynard (1976). ''Norman McLaren (Canadian film series)'':

Canadian Film Institute The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) (french: Institut canadien du film (ICF)) Canadian Film Institute involves Canada in the film production, study, appreciation process of film/moving images for cultural and educational purposes. The Canadian Film ...

. ASIN B0006CVBIW

Works cited

External links

IMDb entryWatch online at NFB Web site
1960s dance films 1968 films 1968 animated films BAFTA winners (films) Ballet films Canadian animated short films Canadian black-and-white films Films directed by Norman McLaren Animated films without speech National Film Board of Canada animated short films Quebec films Canadian dance films 1960s animated short films 1960s Canadian films {{1960s-Canada-film-stub