Deux Voix

Rosalind Stevenson / 1966 / 80 minutes / 16mm / black & white / optical sound print / 24 fps
With Elektrah Lobel, John Heuer, and Finnegan. Original music composed and played by Steve McCord.

I had just entered my twenties when I made Deux Voix and was still interested in narrative though the flow of images, no longer subservient to ideas and words, had begun to interest me more. The face, the eyes, the expression of the energy conveyed by close examination and fragmentation. Deux Voix is a feature length film. The thematic category of the film is fantasy―HER alone is some unspecified timeless room, warned not to speak to anyone, warned of dire consequences. One day she meets HIM and transgresses the warning. The film develops slowly from the moment of transgression to its relational consequence. R.S.

“Images have an extraordinary influence upon us. They are much more powerful than ideas. Those images that influence you in childhood remain in the very roots of your thinking. . . even though you may have outgrown them intellectually.” Alan Watts

It is important for me to say that no animals were hurt during the making of this film. The cat, who played his role so superbly, was my cat Finnegan. He was approximately one year old when the film was made. He lived to the ripe old age of twenty completely indulged and well loved. Effects were obtained artificially using film techniques.

“It’s essential for me to live with a film from start to finish… to follow the lead of the camera… once you start it gets broken into many pieces, segments… like shaking a jigsaw puzzle into a thousand pieces and putting them all back together again… words never can convey to another individual exactly what you see in your mind… there are things I would do differently now… what is important is to go on.” R.S. (Village Voice interview with Jonas Mekas)

“Try to please everyone, and you please no one.” Robert Bresson

Deux Voix currently is only on 16mm film and has not been digitized. All copies are in the collection of the Anthology Film Archives in New York City.

For viewing or licensing information contact the Anthology Film Archives.
For other information about Deux Voix contact me here