IMDb on iPhone and iPod touch Learn more Learn more Download from the App Store
IMDb > Entr'acte (1924)

Entr'acte (1924) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   898 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 36% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Francis Picabia (screenplay)
René Clair (adaptation)
Contact:
View company contact information for Entr'acte on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 December 1924 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
An absolute dada movie. Somebody gets killed, his coffin gets out of control and after a chase it stops. The person gets out of it and let everybody who followed the coffin dissapear. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Reviews:
Follow that coffin! more (6 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Jean Börlin ... Le chasseur au chapeau tyrolien / Le prestidigitateur
Inge Frïss ... La ballerine (as Mlle Frïss)
Francis Picabia ... Un homme qui charge le canon
Marcel Duchamp ... Un joueur d'échecs
Man Ray ... Un joueur d'échecs (as Man-Ray)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Darius Milhaud
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
22 min
Country:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This short is featured on the Criterion Collection DVD for À nous la liberté (1931). more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Case of Marcel Duchamp (1984) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful.
Follow that coffin!, 1 June 2008
Author: F Gwynplaine MacIntyre (Borroloola@earthlink.net) from Minffordd, North Wales

Rene Clair and the Marx Brothers once decided to make a movie together: it's a shame that it never happened. Maybe that movie exists in some alternate universe, and I'll bet it's hilarious. I enjoyed "Entr'acte", but I'd gladly trade this film for a chance to see Rene Clair's Marx Brothers movie.

Another IMDb reviewer has synopsised the plot, such as it is: a man apparently dies. After his funeral, his coffin escapes from its hearse, and then the man returns to life. The title "Entr'acte" (an interval between theatrical acts, or an intermission) is never explained; maybe it refers to the interval between that man's two lives. I prefer to think that Clair meant this somewhat amateurish film as a mere intermission: an amusing bit of fun between the acts of his 'real' films; the ones with coherent story lines.

Some of the content in this film truly does seem to be unintentional. After the central character's funeral, there's a stiff wind blowing outside the chapel. The women in this movie wear elaborate long dresses, and the wind animates their clothing in a way that's distracting rather than funny, and surely not meant to be symbolic.

Much of the imagery in this movie seems to be pure Dada rather than signifying anything. The man's funeral cortege is led by a camel. If there's any underlying significance there, I doubt that it amounts to much. Earlier on, I was intrigued by one sequence featuring Parisian chess players. While the camera focuses on the chessboard, a shot of Parisian traffic is superimposed: suggesting that all humanity are pawns in some cosmic chess game.

Don't look for too much meaning in "Entr'acte". It's an amusing experiment, but might have been more effective at a shorter length.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (6 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Entr'acte (1924)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Ballet mécanique Chelovek s kino-apparatom The Holy Mountain Circumstances Meshes of the Afternoon
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Short section IMDb France section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.