Have I mentioned how much I love the work of Maya Deren (1917-1961), avant-garde film maker, a major, radical figure?My favorite of her works is the early Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), a surreal noir melodrama that I like best silent, without the later-added music. It tops Senses of Cinema's list of best films by women directors. I also like At Land (1944). I'm less fond of later works like Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946) or her film about voudoun, Divine Horsemen. I guess I like best the films on which she collaborated with Alexander Hammid, who also made The Private Life of a Cat. Her statements on her work tend to be a bit too arty and mystical for my taste, though the films make brilliant use of the medium. Most of her films can be seen on DVD, and there's a very good documentary about her life & work, In the Mirror of Maya Deren.
