Key.

A: Corpus. A definitive part of the corpus which embodies both the aesthetic style of Slow Cinema and the conceptual element of my thesis.

B: Influence on Corpus. A film which has either directly or in-directly influenced a film or filmmaker which contributes to my corpus.

C: Peripheral Corpus. A film which has neither been an influence of the corpus nor contains the key aesthetical requirements to be a part of the corpus, yet can fairly be labelled as capturing the spirit of Slow Cinema.

D: Non Corpus. A film made by a filmmaker who is either part of the corpus or has been an influence on the corpus, or even influenced by the corpus yet doesn’t meet enough of the aesthetic requirements to be a part of the previous three groups.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

Clip from: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles



Directed by Chantal Akerman
Released in 1975
Running Time 205 mins
Country of Origin Belgium/France

Reasons for watching: This film by Chantal Akerman is an clear example of an experiment with minimalist narration. Simply by looking at the synopsis and the films running time one is bale to acknowledge that this is a work which engages with stasis and emptiness in a way which resembles Slow Cinema.

Usefulness: That Jeanne Dielman... is an influential film is no great revelation. What is noteworthy is how Gus Van Sant articulates a homage of sorts to Akerman, Tarr and Alan Clarke's Elephant through his own film also entitled Elephant. In Van Sant's film his use of Beethoven's Fur Ellise creates a parallel between Akerman's Jeanne Dielman... which also uses the same piece of music. In Elephant the everyday takes the focus of the film as in Last Days and Gerry to the point where narrative progression is non existent.

Verdict A
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