Apolline + Bruges-La-Morte1959, 1978

To mark a research seminar on the visual representation of Georges Rodenbach’s Symbolist novel Bruges-La-Morte (1892), Film-Plateau presents the visually stunning 1978 adaptation by the American multi-artist Ronald Chase. Chase’s film is paired with Apolline (1959), a short film by Lucien Deroissy.

This little-known gem of Belgian auteur cinema is based on a novella by Franz Hellens, which offers an interesting variation on the plot structure of Rodenbach’s novel. Filmed on location in Ghent, it tells the story of a painter who becomes fascinated by a melancholic woman gazing at the tranquil canals of the historic city centre. A remarkable double bill for aspiring art historians.

This screening will be introduced by art history lecturer Steven Jacobs.

Film-Plateau