"Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943) by Deren and Hammid

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) is the inestimably influential film by Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid. It was reputably made on a budget of $275 -- enough for film and development -- with a used 16mm camera Deren bought with a small inheritance. Such constraints produced what many consider to be the first avant-garde American narrative film.

Deren drew on a rich European tradition, especially the work of Jean Cocteau. His Blood of a Poet (1930) is mirrored (ahem) throughout. The film has also drawn comparisons to early surrealist works, though Deren repeatedly denied such connections.

Originally silent, Teiji Ito, Deren's third husband, added an excellent music track in 1952. That version is not online at present. (Note that many online versions have artificial soundtracks added by others.)

The setting is entirely constrained to the couple's house in Hollywood, yet seems to address everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Such is the poetry of places, which Deren explored with an explicit interest in magic and ritual.