List of avant-garde films of the 1930s

Avant-garde and experimental films din yaai 1930s.gbaa yihi luɣ'shɛli di dalim, sinii kam malila binkumda ka daa yaai ni nahingbaŋ sabinli mini zaɣ'piɛlii.

 Title  Director  Cast  Nation  Notes 1930L'Âge d'OrLuis BuñuelGaston Modot, Lya Lys, Max ErnstFranceSurrealist feature, produced by Charles de NoaillesAutour de la fin du mondeEugène DeslawAbel GanceFranceExtraordinary, semi-experimental "making of" documentary shot on set of Abel Gance's "La fin du monde;" silentApteka (Pharmacy)Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson PolandRayographic animation, lostAimless WalkAlexandr Hackenschmied (Alexander Hammid) CzechoslovakiaCity filmBorderlineKenneth MacphersonPaul Robeson, H.D.United KingdomPool film; silentA City SymphonyHerman G. Weinberg  United StatesCity film, never shown, disassembled and partly used in Autumn FireJan Christopher Horak, ed. Lovers of Cinema: The First American Avant-Garde, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI 1995Crying for the CarolinesLeon Schlesinger, Neil McGuire Milton CharlesUnited StatesA "Spooney Melodie;" Semi-abstract music shortEarthOleksandr DovzhenkoSoviet UnionSilent feature; part of the director's Ukraine Trilogy.It's a BirdHarold MuellerCharles Bowers, Lowell ThomasUnited StatesSemi-animated short where an egg transforms into an automobileEin Lichtspiel: Schwarz/Weiss/GrauLászló Moholy-NagyLight RhythmsFrancis Brugière, Oswell Blakeston United KingdomLight-oriented, non-animated abstract filmUnseen Cinema ProgramMechanical PrinciplesRalph Steiner United StatesAbstract film based on machinery; sometimes dated to 1933Mennschen am Sonntag (People on Sunday)Curt Siodmak, Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, Fred Zinnemann, Rochus GlieseErwin Splettstößer, Brigitte BorchertWeimar RepublicCity film, partly written by Billy Wilder; silentThe Power of SuggestionM.G. MacPherson (director), Jean D. Michelson (editor) United StatesArtkino production; Lost filmJan-Christoper Horak, ed., Lovers of Cinema: the first American film avant-garde, 1919–1945. University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. À propos de NiceJean VigoFranceCity filmRomance SentimentaleGrigory Alexandrov, Sergei EisensteinMara GriyFrance"Étude cinematographique"The Story of a NobodyJo Gerson, Louis Hirshman United StatesExperiment in subjective camerawork, Lost filmBruce Posner, ed. Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film, Black Thistle Press/Anthology Film Archives, NYC 2001Studie(s) Nr. 2-4Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animations; Nr. 4 Lost[Moritz, William. Optical Poetry, filmography]R.5, Ein Spiel in Linien (Studie Nr. 5)Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationStudie Nr. 6Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationSuch Is LifeVera Baranovskaya, Theodor PištěkCzechoslovakiaCzech avant-garde  
 social realist feature; silentTomatos Another DayJames Sibley Watson Jr. United StatesAbsurdist comedy written by Alec WilderThe TrapM.G. MacPherson (director), Jean D. Michelson (editor) United StatesArtkino production, Lost filmWochenende (Weekend)Walter Ruttmann Weimar RepublicAudio-only film collage; no imageJesse Shapins, "Walter Ruttmann's Weekend" YamekrawMurray RothHugo Marianni & His Mediterraneans United StatesVitaphone "opera film" visualization of tone poem by James Price Johnson, heavily indebted to German expressionism.Jennifer Fleeger – Sounding American: Hollywood, Opera and Jazz. Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York, 2014 ppg. 44–51Richard Koszarski – Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff. Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, NJ 2008, ppg. 155–159 1931Autumn FireHerman G. WeinbergErna Bergman, Willy Hildebrand United StatesCinematic poem; mixed nature and city filmA Bronx MorningJay Leyda United StatesCity film; silentCity of ContrastsIrving Browning United StatesCity filmUnseen Cinema programDance FilmRalph Steiner United StatesDance filmA Day in Santa FeLynn Riggs, James Hughes United StatesCity filmDouro, Faina FlouvalManoel de OliveiraPortugalCity filmEnthusiasm: Symphony of the DonbassDziga Vertov Soviet UnionDocumentary film with montage of both visuals and soundHearts of the WestTheodore Huff United StatesGenre parodyImperial ValleySeymour Stern United StatesExperimental documentary, sometimes dated to 1932 or 1933; Stern taken off production which was finished by others, Lost filmIra H. Gallen, Seymour Stern: American Film Critic, Guardian and Prophet SEYMOUR STERN: AMERICAN FILM CRITIC, GUARDIAN and PROPHET by D.W. GRIFFITH – DIRECTOR on MyspaceLimiteMário PeixotoOlga Breno, Raul SchnoorBrazilAdvertised as 'pure cinema;' first Brazilian avant-garde filmAt the Prague CastleAlexandr Hackenschmied CzechoslovakiaSemi-documentaryPanther Woman of the Needle Trades, or The Lovely Life of Little LisaRalph SteinerElizabeth Hawes, Morris CarnovskyUnited StatesSatire, print extant at MOMAPortrait of a Young Man in Three MovementsHenwar Rodakiewicz United StatesFeature length experimental film, begun in 1925Studie(s) Nr. 7-9Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationSurf and SeaweedRalph Steiner United StatesPhotographic abstract film, sometimes dated to 1930.The Light Penetrates the DarknessOtakar Vávra, František Pilát CzechoslovakiaPhotographic abstract filmTaris, roi de l'eauJean VigoFranceDocumentary about a swimming champion 1932Blood of a Poet Jean Cocteau Lee Miller, Pauline Carton, Odette Talazacuez FranceSurrealist feature, produced by Charles de Noailles; often misdated to 1930–31BurleskaJan Kučera CzechoslovakiaExperimental short; Kučera's only filmPeter Hames: Czech and Slovak Cinema: Theme and Tradition, Edinburgh University Press, 2009DestinyJosef Berne United StatesDated "ca. 1932"EuropaStefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson PolandAbstract animation, based on the poem by Anatol Stern; lost, but partially reconstructed in 1984The Fortune TellerJerome Hill United StatesTinting and hand-coloring added in the 1960sGranite, a.k.a. The QuarryRalph Steiner United StatesHarbor ScenesRalph Steiner United StatesHistoire du soldat inconnuHenri StorckBelgiumL'idéeBerthold BartoschFranceSurreal animation; music by Arthur HoneggerKoloraturen (Coloratura)Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationKuhle WampeBertolt Brecht, Slatan DudowWeimar RepublicAgitprop film, written by Bertolt Brecht with music by Hanns Eisler.Land of the SunSeymour Stern United StatesExperimental documentaryLewis Jacobs, Experimental Cinema in America Part One: 1921–1941, Hollywood Quarterly Vol.3 No. 2, Winter 1947–48Little GeezerTheodore Huff United StatesGenre parodyOrnament Sound ExperimentsOskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicSynthetic sound experimentsPoem 8Emlen EttingMary Binney Montgomery, Caresse CrosbyUnited StatesDance film, shot in 8mm, silentPřed maturitou (Before Matriculation)Svatopluk Innemann, Vladislav VančuraJindřich Plachta, František SmolíkCzechoslovakiaSemi-experimental feature filmQué vivá México!Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori AlexandrovFélix Balderas, Martín HernándezMexicoBegun in 1931, never completed by Eisenstein; edited into numerous other filmsHerman G. Weinberg, Unanswered Question: Eisenstein's Qué vivá México! in Bruce Posner, ed. Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film, Black Thistle Press/Anthology Film Archives, NYC 2001Studie(s) Nr. 10-11Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationStudie Nr. 12Oskar Fischinger, Hans Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animationSur les bords de la caméra (Pictures on the Sideline)Henri StorckBelgiumVisions of LourdesCharles DekeukeleireBelgium 19337 till 5Norman McLaren United KingdomAmateur city filmDawn to DawnJosef Berne, Seymour SternJulie Haydon, Ole M. Ness, Frank EklofUnited Statesa.k.a. "Black Dawn," short, Naturalist melodramaDeserterVsevolod PudovkinBoris Livanov, Vasili KovriginSoviet UnionAsynchronous use of sound and imageDrobiazg Melodyjny (Moment Musical)Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson PolandRayographic animation, LostFootnote to FactLewis Jacobs United StatesCity filmG-3Ralph Steiner United StatesAlso dated to 1932Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin PanLuis BuñuelAbel Jacquin, Alexandre O'NeillSpainDocumentary, co-written by Buñuel and Surrealist poet Pierre Unik, with music by Darius MilhaudIn the Icy Wastes of Dialectical MaterialismLuis Buñuel, Charles de Noailles FranceRe-edited section of L'age d'or, rendered as comedy and shown in leftist theaters in Eastern Europe; lost.Lot in SodomJames Sibley Watson Jr., Melville WebberFriedrich Haak, Hildegarde WatsonUnited StatesExperimental short based on Biblical storyMr. Motorboat's Last StandJohn Flory, Theodore HuffLeonard StirrupUnited StatesSatireOn the Sunny SideVladislav VančuraFilip Balek-Brodský, Hana BečkováCzechoslovakiaDidactic feature filmUne nuit sur le mont chauveAlexandre Alexieff, Claire Parker FranceFirst pinscreen animation, also dated to 1934, 1931Oil—A Symphony in MotionM.G. MacPherson (director), Jean D. Michelson (editor) United StatesOnly extant Artkino productionOramundeEmlen EttingCaresse Crosby, Mary Binney MontgomeryUnited StatesDance filmPoslovi konzula Dorgena (Consul Dorgen's Business)Oktavijan MiletićŠime Marov, Ivan Alpi-RauchYugoslaviaExperimental dramatic short; won a prize awarded by Louis Lumièrehttp://www.europafilmtreasures.eu/PY/362/see-the-film-consul_dorgens_business Europa film treasures] Prostoy sluchay (A Simple Case)Vsevolod PudovkinAleksandr Baturin, Mariya BelousovaSoviet UnionNaturalist drama, begun in 1931; silentPuebloSeymour Stern United StatesExperimental documentary; never finished, Lost filmSynchromyMary Ellen Bute, Lewis Jacobs, Joseph Schillinger United StatesAbstract animation, never completedTilly Losch in the Dance of Her HandsNorman Bel GeddesTilly LoschUnited StatesDance film, dated 1930–33The Earth SingsKarel Plicka, Alexandr Hackenschmied CzechoslovakiaExperimentally edited ethnographic semi-documentary, with music scoreZéro de conduiteJean VigoFrance 1934Atoms of EternityČeněk ZahradníčekCzechoslovakiaBeyond This Open RoadB. Vivian BraunUnited KingdomCafé UniversalRalph Steiner United StatesSatire featuring members of The Group TheatreCamera Makes WhoopeeNorman McLaren United KingdomAmateur film; montage experimentsLa Joie de vivreAnthony Gross, Hector Hoppin FranceStylized, surreal animated filmLa Joie de Vivre – 1934 – Europa Film Treasures The FuriesSlavko Vorkapich United StatesSurreal special effects insert for feature, "Crime without Passion"HandsRalph Steiner, Willard Van Dyke United StatesSponsored by the Works Project Administration; also dated 1936-7 and edited into later filmsHappinessAleksandr MedvedkinPetr Zinoviev, Elena EgorovaSoviet UnionSoviet satire; stylized, silentRussian Film Symposium essayThe Hearts of AgeWilliam Vance, Orson WellesVirginia Nicolson, Orson WellesUnited StatesAmateur experimental film, made at the Todd School, ChicagoKreise (Circles)Oskar Fischinger Weimar RepublicAbstract animation, exists in two versions, colorLiebesspielOskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract animation, first exhibited posthumously; silentMan of AranRobert J. FlahertyIrelandFictionalised documentaryMarijka nevěrnice (Faithless Maritza)Vladislav VančuraHana Maria PravdaCzechoslovakiaSemi-experimental featureMuratti Greift Ein (Muratti Gets in the Act)Oskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyDancing cigarette animation, GasparcolorPrisonerRoman FreulichGeorge Sari, Jack RockwellUnited StatesExpressionistic short, made in Hollywood, lost filmQuadrate (Squares)Oskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract animation, silent, GasparcolorRhythm in LightMary Ellen Bute United StatesAbstract animationEin Spiel in Farben (A Play in Colors)Oskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract animation, a.k.a. Studie No. 11a, colorStudie Nr. 13 (Coriolan Fragment)Oskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract animation, unfinishedSweet Land of LibertyLeo Hurwitz United StatesSatirical documentary; Lost filmŽijeme v Praze (We Live in Prague)Otakar Vávra CzechoslovakiaCity film 1935A Colour BoxLen LyeUnited KingdomColour CocktailNorman McLaren United KingdomAbstract animation; lost filmGhost Town: The Story of Fort LeeTheodore Huff, Mark Borgatte United StatesSemi-documentaryGypsy NightJosef Berne, Harold Hecht United StatesMusical short, set in a Gypsy camp, colorThe Hands on TuesdayČeněk Zahradníček  CzechoslovakiaHollywoodVic Kandel, Robert Del Duca United StatesSatire, Lost filmKinetic MolpaiTed ShawnTed Shawn and his Men Dancers United StatesModern dance filmKomposition in Blau (Composition in Blue)Oskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract animation in GasparcolourNovemberOtakar Vávra, Alexandr Hackenschmied CzechoslovakiaMuratti PrivatOskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyDancing cigarette animation, black and whitePie in the SkyRalph Steiner, Elia Kazan, Molly Day Thatcher, Irving LernerElia Kazan, Russell CollinsUnited StatesSatirePink Guards On ParadeOskar Fischinger Nazi GermanyAbstract advertisement, Gasparcolor, unfinished; recreation on video made in 2000 by William MoritzPoisonMan RayMan Ray, Meret OppenheimFranceDouble "portrait" film of Ray and OppenheimPolychrome PhantasyNorman McLaren CanadaAbstract animation, colorSynchromy No. 2Mary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth United StatesAbstract animationZwarcie (Short Circuit)Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson PolandAbstract animation, music by Witold Lutoslawski, Lost 1936145 W 21Rudy BurckhardtPaul Bowles, Aaron CoplandUnited StatesThe Birth of the RobotLen LyeUnited KingdomBlack and White RhapsodyMartin Frič CzechoslovakiaCity filmDadaMary Ellen Bute, produced by Ted Nemeth United StatesAbstract animation, black and whiteHell UnlimitedHelen Biggar, Norman McLaren United KingdomAnti-war political shortThe New Architecture and the London ZooLászló Moholy-NagyUnited KingdomRedesEmilio Gómez Muriel, Fred ZinnemannSilvio Hernández, Rafael HinojosaMexicoCinematography by Paul Strand, music by Silvestre Revueltas; Eisenstein-influenced revolutionary filmRose HobartJoseph CornellRose Hobart United StatesCollage film 1937Even—As You and ILeRoy Robbins, Harry HayHy Hirsh United StatesEscapeMary Ellen Bute, produced by Ted Nemeth United StatesAbstract animation, colorMonsieur FantômasErnst MoermanBelgiumAn Optical PoemOskar Fischinger United StatesAbstract animation, distributed by MGM, colorParabolaMary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth, Bill Nemeth, Rutherford Boyd United StatesAbstract animationPrzygoda Czlowieka Poczciwego (The Adventure of a Good Citizen)Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson PolandSatireSeeing the World No. 1: A Trip to New York CItyRudy Burckhardt United StatesCity filmSilnice spívá (The Highway Sings)Elmar Klos, Alexandr Hackenschmied CzechoslovakiaExperimental advertising film 1938BookstallsJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage film, title added posthumously; SilentCarousel: Animal OperaJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage filmThe Children's JuryJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage film, SilentThe Children's Trilogy: Cotillion, The Midnight Party, The Children's PartyJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage film, put into a final form by Larry Jordan ca. 1967–70, SilentFamily FilmJosé Val del OmarSpainFragment from Caroland's MansionFrank Stauffacher United StatesJack's DreamJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage film, put into a final form by Larry Jordan ca. 1970N or NWLen LyeUnited KingdomThimble TheaterJoseph Cornell United StatesCollage film, title added posthumously; SilentTree Trunk to HeadLewis JacobsChaim GrossUnited StatesSemi-documentary, silent 1939The CityRalph Steiner, Willard Van Dyke United StatesCity film for New York World's Fair, written by Pare LorentzDance of the ColorsHans Fischinger GermanyAbstract animation, colorHaitiRudy Burckhardt United StatesLove on the WingNorman McLaren United KingdomAbstract animation, colorScherzoNorman McLaren United KingdomAbstract animation, colorSpare TimeHumphrey JenningsUnited KingdomShort documentary about British people at leisure, inspired by Mass ObservationSpook SportMary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth, Norman McLaren United StatesAbstract animation, color, animation by McLarenStars and StripesNorman McLaren United KingdomAbstract animation, colorTime in the SunMarie SetonUnited KingdomComposite film, made of footage shot by Sergei Eisenstein for Qué vivá México!

Bibliography
 Jan Christopher Horak, ed. Lovers of Cinema: The First American Avant-Garde, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI 1995
 Lovers of Cinema: The First American Avant-Garde, 1919–1945. University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. 
 Paul Rotha and Roger Manvell, "Movie Parade: A Pictorial Survey of the Cinema" London: The Studio, 1936
 Parker Tyler, "Underground Film: A Critical History" New York: Da Capo Press, 1995 (originally published in 1969)
 David Curtis, "Experimental Cinema" New York: Universe Books, 1970
 Bruce Posner, ed. Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film, Black Thistle Press/Anthology Film Archives, NYC 2001

Kundivihira

1930s
Avant-garde