''Venom and Eternity'' (french: Traité de Bave et d'Éternité, lit=Treatise on Slobber and Eternity) is a 1951 French

avant-garde film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...

Isidore Isou Isidore Isou (; 29 January 1925 – 28 July 2007), born Isidor Goldstein, was a Romanian-born French poet, dramaturge, novelist, film director, economist, and visual artist who lived in the 20th century. He was the founder of Lettrism, an art ...

that grew out of the

Lettrist Lettrism is a French avant-garde movement, established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou. In a body of work totaling hundreds of volumes, Isou and the Lettrists have applied their theories to all areas of art and culture ...

movement in Paris. It created a scandal at the

1951 Cannes Film Festival The 4th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 20 April 1951. The previous year, no festival had been held because of financial reasons. In 1951, the festival took place in April instead of September to avoid direct competition with the Venice Fi ...

Description

''Venom and Eternity'' is arranged in a three-part structure. The first chapter, "Principle" (french: "Le principe", links=no), displays people walking around the streets of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

as the audio track presents an argument at a film society. The second chapter, "Development" (french: "Le développement", links=no), shows a romantic meeting between two people. This section is combined with found footage. The final chapter, "Proof" (french: "La preuve", links=no), uses increasingly abstract images, including countdown

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

and clear leader. Its audio track resumes the debate from "Principle" and features Lettrist poetry.Cabañas 2014, pp. 31.

Production

Isou began filming ''Venom and Eternity'' in 1950.Wall-Romana 2012, p. 229. The scenes of various Lettrists walking were shot on the streets of

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the no ...

. Isou used found footage discarded by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and various film laboratories.

Release

Isou first screened a four-and-a-half-hour rough cut of the film on 20 April 1951. Fearing that he would be deported from France in the event of public controversy, Isou had the film transported to the

Marc'O Marc-Gilbert Guillaumin known as Marc'O (original spelling Marc, O ) (born April 10, 1927) is a French writer, researcher, director, playwright, and filmmaker known for being part of the Lettrist movement. Filmography Films * 1954 : ''Closed ...

, ,

François Dufrene Francois Dufrene (François Dufrêne) (born Paris, 21 September 1930; died Paris, 12 December 1982) was a French Nouveau réalisme, Nouveau realist visual artist, Lettrist and Ultra-Lettrist poet. He is primarily known as a pioneer in sound poetry ...

Maurice Lemaître Maurice Lemaître (aka Moïse Maurice Bismuth) (23 April 1926, Paris - 2 July 2018) was a French Lettrist painter (known for his use of Hypergraphy), filmmaker, writer and poet. Lemaître was Isidore Isou's right-hand man for nearly half a centur ...

, and

Gil J. Wolman Gil Joseph Wolman (7 September 1929, Paris – 3 July 1995, Paris) was a French artist. His work encompassed painting, poetry and film-making. He was a member of Isidore Isou's avant garde Letterist movement in the early 1950s, then becoming a cen ...

. Isou was unable to enter ''Venom and Eternity'' into the festival but harassed officials until they allowed him to present his film at the Vox Theater. At the time of the premiere, only the first third of the film had a completed image track. A hostile audience began jeering shortly after the film began. After the first section finished, the screen went blank. The projector light was turned off as the audio track continued to play to a darkened theatre. Audience members were infuriated, and the screening was ended early. Accounts of the scandalous response described a rioting audience and police officers using fire hoses on the crowd, but these stories are largely apocryphal. Director

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

awarded Isou the "Prix de spectateurs d'avant-garde" for ''Venom and Eternity''. As soon as ''Venom and Eternity'' was completed, the Ciné-Club Avant-Garde 52 showed it at the

Musée de l'Homme The Musée de l'Homme ( French, "Museum of Mankind" or "Museum of Humanity") is an anthropology museum in Paris, France. It was established in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne' ...

in Paris. Starting in January 1952, it had a two-week theatrical run at the Studio de l'Etoile.

Legacy

''Venom and Eternity'' was the first cinematic work by the Lettrist movement. The film became a major influence on the work of

Stan Brakhage James Stanley Brakhage ( ; January 14, 1933 – March 9, 2003) was an American filmmaker. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th-century experimental film. Over the course of five decades, Brakhage created a large ...

.Cabañas 2014, pp. 136–137.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0207801 1950s avant-garde and experimental films 1951 directorial debut films 1951 films French avant-garde and experimental films French black-and-white films Lettrism 1950s French-language films 1950s French films