Mostra, Regno Unito, London, 29 June 2015
Competenze: Spazio Espositivo
To cast the role of Kanchi, the silent “beggar maid” of Black Narcissus (1947), iconic British directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger conducted a nationwide search. In all, almost 1000 hopefuls applied, with over 200 girls tested and interviewed.
The coveted role went to seventeen-year-old Jean Simmons – who had won worldwide acclaim for her performance as Estella in Great Expectations (1946). To fulfil the role, she had to wear dark Panstick make-up and a jewel in her nose to become the “exotic temptress” of Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel.
Casting Kanchi will echo the process with “screen tests”, in which the prospective Kanchis will work through an excerpt of the script, improvise and, crucially, share and discuss their own thoughts about their identity. An anonymous reader questions the young women and asks them to perform a number of acts to secure the role, under the gaze of the camera lens, which appears increasingly aggressive during the process.
The work was shot on 16mm film and transferred to digital, it is intended to play as four screens, which play simultaneously on loop. During the film, a rectangle frame, becomes activated with a digital image of the Himalayas, a moment in which the medium of film is punctured with an alien medium.
The coveted role went to seventeen-year-old Jean Simmons – who had won worldwide acclaim for her performance as Estella in Great Expectations (1946). To fulfil the role, she had to wear dark Panstick make-up and a jewel in her nose to become the “exotic temptress” of Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel.
Casting Kanchi will echo the process with “screen tests”, in which the prospective Kanchis will work through an excerpt of the script, improvise and, crucially, share and discuss their own thoughts about their identity. An anonymous reader questions the young women and asks them to perform a number of acts to secure the role, under the gaze of the camera lens, which appears increasingly aggressive during the process.
The work was shot on 16mm film and transferred to digital, it is intended to play as four screens, which play simultaneously on loop. During the film, a rectangle frame, becomes activated with a digital image of the Himalayas, a moment in which the medium of film is punctured with an alien medium.
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