Underplayed Gems

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (1979)

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting poster
Original title
L’hypothèse du tableau volé
Directed by
Raúl Ruiz
Genre
drama film
Country
France
Runtime
1h 06m
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 49 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A narrator guides a small group around a private art collection, pointing out a series of six paintings. He argues that a missing seventh painting holds the key to understanding the others. The film is a mock documentary that examines the relationship between images and meaning.

intellectualplayfulmysteriousslow-pacedanalyticalself-awarestagedcerebral

What happens

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (French: L'Hypothèse du tableau volé) is a 1978 French drama film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz and shot by cinematographer Sacha Vierny. The film was inspired by the themes of French writer Pierre Klossowski (1905 - 2001) and makes references to many of Klossowski's works including The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, The Baphomet and “La Judith de Frédérique Tonnerre.” Ruiz was originally commissioned by a French TV network to make an arts documentary on Klossowski, but what emerged is this film, a parody of the art documentary. The film was featured in film festivals after its release such as the London Film Festival in 1979. Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting has been noted as one of Ruiz's masterpieces that challenges the boundaries of cinema and film theory. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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