Page 63 - Studio International - January February 1975

Marcel Duchamp's
Anemic-Cinema

Katrina Martin

Translating the nine linguistic English words on the original film as changes radically. Through the strange
configurations of Marcel Duchamp's sub-titles. Rather, what follows is a juxtaposition of elements, the
film ANEMIC-CINEMA is description of the nine phrases as they overwhelming power of their traditional
impossible. Not only do these function with relation to the film, to context is contradicted, and through this
phrases make constant use of Duchamp's oeuvre, and to the French mitigation, the artist gains freedom to
alliteration and the pun, both of language as a whole. make an original comment and a unique
which devices refer implicitly to the Duchamp made the film with Man statement.
French language, but also Ray's help in France from 1924-26. He The ready-mades took relatively little
Duchamp's particular language may had earlier lived in New York from 1915- time and effort to assemble, but at the
be understood only as it appears in 21, where he had become notorious for same time they were each the
this film. In attempting to make the his work with the 'assisted ready-mades'. manifestation of a long intellectual
linguistic aspect of Duchamp's work Simply stated, a ready-made is an object process. Likewise, although ANEMIC-
accessible to those who do not speak which has been taken out of a context CINEMA is obviously not the product of
French, I have therefore abandoned the which is in any way conventional and daily travail in a studio, that it took two
normal method of translation, which is to placed into a new and strange one, years to create is justified in this seven-
superimpose a corresponding number of whereby the function of the object chosen minute film. Despite Duchamp's reputed

53