The thinking machine 56: Smile (2022)

In 1921, at the tender age of 24, filmmaker and theorist Jean Epstein (1897-1953) described the screen spectacle of a person smiling. In close-up. The smallest movements and vibrations on this face – designated neither male nor female – rouse Epstein to invent a delirious carnival of metaphors. The face is a landscape, a décor, a piano; a smile is an earthquake, a storm, a theatre curtain rising. Everything is dramatic, but there is not – not yet – any story. A single 30-second close-up of Carola Regnier in Stephen Dwoskin’s Behindert (1974) – a type of shot he often made – can incite the same reverie.

Director: Cristina Álvarez López, Adrian Martin
Runtime: 2 min
Release Date:
Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Cristina Álvarez López, Adrian Martin

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The thinking machine 56: Smile about?
In 1921, at the tender age of 24, filmmaker and theorist Jean Epstein (1897-1953) described the screen spectacle of a person smiling. In close-up. The smallest movements and vibrations on this face – designated neither male nor female – rouse Epstein to invent a delirious carnival of metaphors. The face is a landscape, a décor, a piano; a smile is an earthquake, a storm, a theatre curtain rising. Everything is dramatic, but there is not – not yet – any story. A single 30-second close-up of Carola Regnier in Stephen Dwoskin’s Behindert (1974) – a type of shot he often made – can incite the same reverie.
Who directed The thinking machine 56: Smile?
The thinking machine 56: Smile was directed by Cristina Álvarez López, Adrian Martin.
How long is The thinking machine 56: Smile?
The thinking machine 56: Smile has a runtime of 2m (2 minutes).