While Man Ray is mostly remembered for his significant contribution to Dada art (in several well-known Dada films), the majority of his work listed on IMDb in fact consists of a series of short home movies he made of various things, none seemingly made with the intent of ever being released. It seems that after the artist's years as a filmmaker, the home movies he made 1923-1938 somehow resurfaced and were compiled in a nearly feature-length collection aptly titled "Home Movies". While nothing in particular is unique about them, they do provide interest to fans of old film - especially those interested in the artist himself.
"Dance" is an interesting one due to seeming more like a finished product of what could have been a finalized film (if the footage near the end was cut). Unlike other home movies, it focuses on one subject specifically the entire time, and almost has the feel of Maya Deren's "Meditation on Violence" due to similar themes. The home movie consists mainly of a dancer, identified only as Jenny, scantily clad and performing a repetitive dance which I suppose could be sexually arousing to some but failed to be so in any real way to me. It has the feel of footage that could be put into an art film, with interesting lighting going on and some alright camerawork (even if it doesn't show the dancer's head much). The ending, where we see what I believe to be Man Ray himself talking on the phone and sitting at a desk, is the only part that would be cut out, due to changing the focus. However, it is an oddly engaging film to watch with plenty of interesting elements, that could've been used in a bigger project rather than remaining one of Ray's home movies.
"Dance" is an interesting one due to seeming more like a finished product of what could have been a finalized film (if the footage near the end was cut). Unlike other home movies, it focuses on one subject specifically the entire time, and almost has the feel of Maya Deren's "Meditation on Violence" due to similar themes. The home movie consists mainly of a dancer, identified only as Jenny, scantily clad and performing a repetitive dance which I suppose could be sexually arousing to some but failed to be so in any real way to me. It has the feel of footage that could be put into an art film, with interesting lighting going on and some alright camerawork (even if it doesn't show the dancer's head much). The ending, where we see what I believe to be Man Ray himself talking on the phone and sitting at a desk, is the only part that would be cut out, due to changing the focus. However, it is an oddly engaging film to watch with plenty of interesting elements, that could've been used in a bigger project rather than remaining one of Ray's home movies.