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pluralstories2022-11-04 06:39 pm
lb_lee) wrote in pluralstories2022-11-04 06:39 pm
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Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti, by Maya Deren (avante garde film, 1947-1951, 1981)
"The actions and utterances of the possessed person are not the expression of the individual, but the loa."
Blurb: A journey into the Voudoun religion of Haiti, filmed by Maya Deren during 1947-1951 and edited posthumously by Teiji and Cherel Ito in 1981, focused primarily on religious song, dance, and possession.
Why is it worth your time?: Maya Deren experienced Voudoun possession herself (though it doesn't come up in the film--for that, see the appendices of the BOOK version of Divine Horsemen) and was an avante-garde filmmaker, which makes this film singular. It doesn't really have a story, but it's a cinematic expression of an experience from a time period that's hard to find without grotesque trappings of racism. Voudoun is treated matter-of-factly in this film, and it's worth your time. Mostly, it lets the footage speak for itself, with little commentary.
Plural Tags: spiritual, switching, on purpose, community, abuse not mentioned, possession
Content Warnings: Matter-of-fact but explicit animal injury and sacrifice (chickens, goat, bull). It isn't treated as lurid or disgusting, and the narrator makes it clear what's going to happen well ahead of time.
Access Notes: Available on DVD, VHS, and streaming. Alas, the DVD version I had contained no subtitles. There's also a book version, but because it is more about Voudoun as a religion than about plural or personal experience, it doesn't make the cut for this catalog. (That said, if you want to read Deren's experience of possession, that's Chapter 7.)
Someone has uploaded the film to archive.org here!
Blurb: A journey into the Voudoun religion of Haiti, filmed by Maya Deren during 1947-1951 and edited posthumously by Teiji and Cherel Ito in 1981, focused primarily on religious song, dance, and possession.
Why is it worth your time?: Maya Deren experienced Voudoun possession herself (though it doesn't come up in the film--for that, see the appendices of the BOOK version of Divine Horsemen) and was an avante-garde filmmaker, which makes this film singular. It doesn't really have a story, but it's a cinematic expression of an experience from a time period that's hard to find without grotesque trappings of racism. Voudoun is treated matter-of-factly in this film, and it's worth your time. Mostly, it lets the footage speak for itself, with little commentary.
Plural Tags: spiritual, switching, on purpose, community, abuse not mentioned, possession
Content Warnings: Matter-of-fact but explicit animal injury and sacrifice (chickens, goat, bull). It isn't treated as lurid or disgusting, and the narrator makes it clear what's going to happen well ahead of time.
Access Notes: Available on DVD, VHS, and streaming. Alas, the DVD version I had contained no subtitles. There's also a book version, but because it is more about Voudoun as a religion than about plural or personal experience, it doesn't make the cut for this catalog. (That said, if you want to read Deren's experience of possession, that's Chapter 7.)
Someone has uploaded the film to archive.org here!
no subject
https://archive.org/details/VOODOODIVINEHORSEMENDeMAYADEREN