The Silent Eye

  • 70'
  • Australia
  • 2016

Australian filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson came to New York a few years ago to haunt the city’s bars and jazz clubs. His particular focus was on Cecil Taylor (1929), revolutionary jazz pianist and one of the pioneers of free jazz. Taylor used to play with a propulsive intensity, but nowadays he brings a more serene energy to his instrument.
In the private setting of his loft, Taylor’s piano improvisations are echoed in the corporeal movements of Tanaka Min (1945), a Japanese dance pioneer who has collaborated with the likes of Luciano Berio, John Cale, Karel Appel, Richard Serra and Susan Sontag. The camera captures an elegant, non-verbal conversation between two masters, both meditative and highly emotional. “Rhythm is life… the space of time danced through. The root of rhythm is its central unit of change.” (C.T.) This film is also a forerunner to Amiel's upcoming sci-fi time-travel biopic feature about Cecil Taylor.

Director
Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Premiere
International premiere
Countries of production
Australia, USA
Year
2016
Festival Edition
IFFR 2017
Length
70'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producer
Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Production Company
Flood Projects
Sales
Flood Projects
Cinematography
Germain McMicking
Editor
Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Alena Lodkina
Sound Design
Rosalind Hall
Music
Cecil Taylor, Rosalind Hall
Cast
Cecil Taylor, Tanaka Min
Website
357films.com
Director
Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Premiere
International premiere
Countries of production
Australia, USA
Year
2016
Festival Edition
IFFR 2017
Length
70'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producer
Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Production Company
Flood Projects
Sales
Flood Projects
Cinematography
Germain McMicking
Editor
Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Alena Lodkina
Sound Design
Rosalind Hall
Music
Cecil Taylor, Rosalind Hall
Cast
Cecil Taylor, Tanaka Min
Website
357films.com