ANIMALS: Short Film Based on Woyzeck's Tale in Paris (1984)

English & French subtitles available in video settings.

ANIMALS (1984)

ANIMALS is a short film based on the "grandmother's tale" in the play Woyzeck by Georg Buchner that I shot in and around Paris in 1984. It is narrated by a woman (Nelly Alard) who plays Marie, the lover of Woyzeck (Rafael Mahdavi). The narrator's voice is cut up and incomprehensible towards the end. The idea was to represent the voice of the woman cut up as a way of representing Marie being murdered with a knife by Woyzeck. 

Cinematographer Richard Hamon and especially editor John Bertucci were of invaluable help in finishing this film, my first in 16mm and so far my only one in French. As far as I know, it is the only film in which my friend the painter and sculptor Rafael Mahdavi acts.