Monday, May 7, 2012

Solo by William Forsyth

Solo is a black and white film running about six and a half minutes. It opens and focuses on a man performing what one can only identify as some kind of modern dance infused with ballet and, occasionally, hip hop. His performance is accompanied by a violin, and an offstage male voice giving the occasional direction.
This seems to be practice for the man. He is on a stage and the accompaniment periodically chimes in, but the audio of the violin does not correspond with nor do they influence the movement of the man.
The light is harsh and the man does not stop moving or talk at all until the very end. As a subject, he is not relatable. He is rather a panting body, flailing and spinning wildly to some kind of internal rhythm.
As well as the violin and the man out of frame, we the audience hear the squeaking the dancer's socks make against the floor upon which he is performing. They clash with the violin enough to make the sounds harmonize.
The sound accentuates the image and the image is pretty clean and dry. Neither overpowers the other. If anything, they compliment one another.

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