Les chants de Maldoror

1978 0h 30m JA

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 8

Fantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A “reading film” of delirious image and text, Les chants de Maldoror takes its title and inspiration from Comte de Lautréamont’s 1869 proto-Surrealist poetic novel which, for instance, describes beauty as the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table. In the novel’s six cantos, a young misanthrope indulges in depraved and destructive acts. Unexpected encounters abound, with turtles and birds joining Terayama’s regular cast of snails and dogs to wander over books and bare torsos. Feverish video processing posterizes, inverts and overlays images that are further colored by sound—pushing the limits of his literary adaptation. Terayama wrote that the only tombstone he wanted was his words, but, as Les chants de Maldoror demonstrates, words need not be confined to carved monuments or bound hardcopies.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Keiko Niitaka
Susumu Oono
Yoko Ran

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shūji Terayama
Writers: Shūji Terayama
Languages: No Language
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 30-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Shūji Terayama, shot by Tatsuo Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Keiko Niitaka and Susumu Oono and Yoko Ran carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0896550 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shūji Terayama directs. Tatsuo Suzuki behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 30-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
248 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Shūji Terayama, shot by Tatsuo Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Keiko Niitaka and Susumu Oono and Yoko Ran carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0896550 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.