Maker: Maya Deren
Assisted by Miriam Arsham, Alexander Hammid
Original format: 16mm silent film 1.37:1
Preserved by Bruce Posner and Anthology Film Archives at Cineric, Inc. and Trackwise from camera original, optical negative and composite prints with funding provided by the Women's Film Preservation Fund of Women in Film/Television New York.
Featuring Chao-li Chi
Music a mix of Chinese classical flute and drums recorded in Haiti by Maya Deren
Courtesy: Bruce Posner
Technical note: Restored version includes the entire 16mm film frame as shot by Deren. The footage was cropped-enlarged in printing to eliminate an unsightly hair protruding into the frame. The freeze frame footage was scanned at 2K from the original 16mm optical negative that was carefully moved to each generation of the film.

The film pivots on the precise movements of a solitary Chinese boxer performing a ritualized dance set against white and black backgrounds. It reaches an epiphany when he abruptly moves outside, jumps and freezes in mid-air, then resumes the dance in reverse order through the indoor setting. - Bruce Posner

Maya Deren (1917-1961), choreographer, dancer, theorist, poet, lecturer, author and photographer, performed these activities and many more during her short but productive life. Best known for six short avant-garde films made between 1943 and 1958, she acted as spokesperson for advanced film production and exhibition. 1946 proved a watershed year for her with sold-out film screenings at the Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village and a Guggenheim Fellowship award for creative filmmaking, the first given to a filmmaker. - Bruce Posner