 Maya Deren takes us on a journey into the fascinating world of the Voudoun religion, whose devotees commune with the cosmic powers through invocation, offerings, song and dance. The Voudoun pantheon of deities, or loa, is witnessed as being living gods and goddesses, actually taking possession of their devotees. The soundtrack conveys the incantatory power of the ritual drumming and singing. 'Maya Deren first went to Haiti as an artist... but the manifestations of rapture that seized her, and transported her beyond the bounds of any art she had ever known. She was open to the messages of that speechless deep, which is, indeed, the wellspring of the mysteries.' -- Joseph Campbell.
52 minutes, black & white, NTSC format.
Filmed by Maya Deren during 1947-51, edited posthumously by Teji and Cherel Ito; previously available on VHS and now finally transferred to DVD! |