Friday 29 June 2007, 19.00

Poetic pioneer of astonishingly beautiful science films, Jean Painlevé (1902-1989) explored a twilight realm of vampire bats, seahorses, octopuses, and liquid crystals. In collaboration with his partner, Genevieve Hamon, Painlevé made more than 200 science and nature films and was an early champion of the genre. In the process he won over surrealists and avant-gardists and counted amongst his friends Antonin Artaud, Sergei Eisenstein, Jean Vigo, and Luis Buñuel. Painlevé's astonishing documentaries – and their incredible soundtracks – witness a genuinely 'magic realism', whose appeal remains stronger than ever. This selection from 50 years of passionate scientific enquiry marks a new BFI DVD release of Painlevé's work.

Programme duration 65 minutes. Introduced by Brigitte Berg, Director of Les Documents Cinématographiques, Paris.

Mathusalem, 1926, 10'

The Sea Horse, 1934, 14'

Bluebeard, 1938, 13'

The Vampire, 1939-45, 9'

Love Life of the Octopus, 1965, 13'

Phase Transformation in Liquid Crystals, 1976, 6'

Tate Modern  Starr Auditorium
£5 (£4 concessions), booking recommended

    

This event is related to the Dalí at Tate Modern exhibition