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At Land
Deren from the still in the film At Land
Directed byMaya Deren
Written byMaya Deren
StarringMaya Deren
Alexander Hammid
John Cage
Parker Tyler
CinematographyHella Hammid (as Hella Heyman)
Alexander Hammid
Release date
  • 1944 (1944)
Running time
15 minutes
CountryUSA
LanguageSilent

At Land is a 1944 American experimental silent short film written, directed by, and starring Maya Deren.[1] It has a dream-like narrative in which a woman, played by Deren, is washed up on a beach and goes on a strange journey encountering other people and other versions of herself.[2] Deren once said that the film is about the struggle to maintain one's personal identity.

The composer John Cage and the poet and film critic Parker Tyler were involved in making the film, and appear in the film, which was shot at Amagansett, Long Island.

Plot

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A woman is lying amid the waves crashing on a beach. The water retreats and leaves her on the sand. She climbs a nearby uprooted tree with some difficulty, but when she finally reaches the top, she finds herself at the end of a long dining room table during a bourgeois dinner party. None of the guests acknowledge her presence as she drags herself along the top of the table toward a man (played by graphic designer Alvin Lustig) who is playing chess against himself. Her progress is intercut with footage of her crawling through some underbrush. When she finally gets to the man, he stands up and walks away. The chess pieces begin to move by themselves, and one of the pawns falls off the table. She chases it down a river and over some small waterfalls before giving up.

The woman walks down a dirt road. A man (played by American surrealist poet Philip Lamantia at age 17) begins to talk with her, and as they walk he turns into three other men: first Parker Tyler, then artist and composer John Cage, and finally Alexander Hammid (Deren's real-life husband). She follows the final man into a house where all the furniture is under white dust covers. The woman and a new man, who has appeared under the covers on a divan, stare at each other for several moments. A cat leaps from her arms, and she turns around and leaves. After walking through several doors, she ends up on top of a big rock. She slowly falls down to the ground in several stages and then walks across a field of dunes.

On a beach, the woman gathers rocks in her arms as she walks along, but she is having a hard time and drops the stones as fast as she is able to pick them up. She sees two women (who are dressed like they could have been at the dinner party earlier) playing chess near the water. While they talk and play, the woman gets closer and watches them for a bit before she begins to gently caress their hair. They lose their focus on the game, and the woman grabs the white queen just as it is about to get captured. She runs away with her arms raised, and, as she passes back through all of the places she has previously been on her journey, she exchanges glances with other versions of herself who are still in each location. The woman keeps running after she gets to the beach from the beginning of the film, leaving her footprints behind her in the sand.

Cast

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Trivia

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The chess game shown at the beginning and the end is Anderssen - Kieseritzky, proclaimed as the Immortal Game.

Legacy

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Film theorist P. Adams Sitney described Stan Brakhage's 1962 film Blue Moses as a reaction to Deren's work, with references to At Land in its circular structure, the sudden costume changes of its protagonist, and its story about footprints.[3] The film is part of Anthology Film Archives' Essential Cinema Repertory collection.[4]

The scenes of Deren on the beach, and of the chess games are referenced in the music video for the band Garbage's 2012 single "Blood for Poppies".[5] English rock musician and former Pink Floyd member David Gilmour, used footage from the film in the official music video for his song "Faces of Stone", directed by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis.[6]

References

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Further reading

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[edit]
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At Land

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At Land is a 1944 American experimental written, directed, and starring avant-garde filmmaker . The 15-minute black-and-white silent work follows a surreal, dreamlike in which Deren's is washed ashore on a and embarks on an "inverted ," traversing disjointed landscapes from logs to formal dinner tables, encountering indifferent figures along the way. This mythological voyage symbolizes the individual's struggle to connect with a fluid and incoherent universe. Produced independently by Deren shortly after her debut collaboration (1943), At Land was shot primarily on the beaches of Amagansett, , with interiors filmed in a domestic setting. The film features cameo appearances by notable contemporaries, including composer as a beachgoer, poet and critic Parker Tyler at the dinner party, and Deren's then-husband, filmmaker Alexander Hammid. Deren employed innovative editing techniques, such as jump cuts and horizontal tracking shots, to blur boundaries between natural and social environments, emphasizing the protagonist's alienation. Thematically, At Land delves into Deren's recurring interests in the in motion, ritualistic social behaviors, and the psychological interplay between and surroundings, drawing allusions to literary works like James Joyce's Ulysses and Lewis Carroll's . Deren herself described it as addressing "the problem of the individual, as the sole continuous element, is to relate herself to a fluid, apparently incoherent, universe." As one of Deren's early solo efforts, the film solidified her reputation as a pioneer of American cinema, influencing subsequent generations of filmmakers through its nonlinear structure and exploration of feminine subjectivity. It is preserved in the collection of and continues to be screened in retrospectives dedicated to experimental and .

Overview

Synopsis

At Land is a 15-minute silent black-and-white experimental directed by and starring as the central performer. The film opens on a where huge white-crested waves crash in reverse, washing Deren's character ashore as she appears dazed. She lifts herself using a weathered tree trunk as support, then seamlessly transitions to peering over a banquet table in a , crawling across it toward a man playing chess. As she approaches, the man rises and leaves, and the chess pieces begin to move on their own; a white pawn falls into a watery hole on the table, transforming into a white queen that rolls away. Deren pursues the runaway queen, which travels from the table to a country road where she encounters and converses sequentially with four men. The chase continues through natural outdoor settings like woods and dunes, shifting to a where she crawls through a hole and exchanges silent gazes with a man on a . Later, on the , she observes two women playing chess by the seashore, snatches the white queen, and runs off, passing earlier mirrored versions of herself. The film features stop-motion effects as she disappears and reappears while descending rocks and gathering stones. In the conclusion, Deren runs along the beach, leaving a trail of footprints that merge with the incoming waves, returning to the sea in a reverse of the opening sequence. Key visual transitions blend domestic interiors, such as the dinner table and banquet room, with abstract outdoor landscapes, creating a fluid dreamlike progression.

Production Background

At Land was written and conceived by in 1944 as her second major , following her collaboration with Alexander Hammid on the previous year, allowing her to pursue a more personal vision unbound by co-directorial input. The project emphasized Deren's independent approach, funded through her personal resources, including an inheritance from her father who died in 1943, which she had initially used to purchase a 16mm camera for her filmmaking endeavors. Filming took place over a short period in 1944, primarily on the beach in Amagansett, , New York, with additional interior scenes shot in a banquet room and the apartment shared by Deren and Hammid; the production utilized low-cost 16mm black-and-white in a self-financed effort that highlighted the resource constraints of cinema at the time. Deren opted for a silent format to prioritize visual rhythm and choreographic flow, aligning with her background in and her desire to create a purely cinematic experience free from auditory distractions. Key collaborators included cinematographers Alexander Hammid, Deren's husband, who handled much of the camera work, and Hella Hammid (credited as Hella Heyman), who assisted with technical duties; editing was shared between Deren and Hammid, underscoring the intimate, hands-on nature of the production. Produced amid , At Land reflected Deren's evolving career trajectory from dancer and choreographer—where she had served as assistant to in 1941–1942—to pioneering filmmaker, a shift facilitated by wartime upheavals that disrupted traditional arts and opened avenues for independent experimental work.

Artistic Elements

Cast and Performances

At Land features a small ensemble of performers, primarily non-professional actors drawn from 's personal and artistic circles in the New York avant-garde scene. The cast includes as the central woman, Philip Lamantia as the first man encountered on the road, Parker Tyler, , and Alexander Hammid as subsequent men in the road sequence, and Alvin Lustig as the man playing chess at the banquet table. Hella Hammid appears as one of the women playing chess on the beach. These individuals were selected not for traditional acting credentials but for their alignment with the film's symbolic and ritualistic needs, reflecting Deren's preference for collaborators who embodied the experimental ethos of the émigré community. The performances emphasize non-narrative, archetypal roles without , suited to the film's surreal framework. Deren's portrayal of the central involves multifaceted embodiments of "selves," achieved through her physical presence and later reinforced by editing techniques that multiply her image, creating a depersonalized, ritualistic figure navigating liminal spaces. Supporting performers like Lamantia, Tyler, , Hammid, Lustig, and Hella Hammid appear in brief, sequences, their actions—such as conversing on a road or engaging in a game—serving as symbolic props rather than character-driven narratives, with stylized, trance-like movements that prioritize choreographic flow over emotional depth. This approach draws from non-professional , allowing spontaneous yet structured interactions that enhance the film's dreamlike .
PerformerRole DescriptionContribution to Experimental Style
Maya DerenCentral womanMultifaceted "selves" via physical and edited multiplicity; ritualistic, depersonalized movements.
Philip LamantiaFirst man on the roadInitial archetypal encounter in road sequence; symbolic interaction without dialogue.
Parker TylerMan in road sequenceSequential appearance in road encounters; embodies avant-garde archetype through minimal, focused action.
John CageMan in road sequenceSequential appearance in road encounters; non-professional delivery suits surreal detachment.
Alexander HammidFinal man in road sequenceArchetypal appearance in road sequence; symbolic interaction without dialogue.
Alvin LustigMan playing chess (banquet table)Absorbed, indifferent posture in chess-related moment; enhances ritualistic isolation.
Hella HammidWoman playing chess on beachEphemeral symbolic figure in final beach sequence; contributes to fragmented, associative ensemble.

Cinematography and Editing

At Land was filmed on 16mm black-and-white stock, producing a stark, high-contrast visual texture that enhances the film's ethereal quality. The , by Hella Hammid and Alexander Hammid, employs natural light for exterior beach sequences to capture the raw interplay of sea, sand, and , while staged interior scenes utilize controlled artificial lighting to create intimate, shadowed atmospheres. A notable technique in the opening sequence involves reverse motion, where waves appear to deposit the on the shore, inverting natural flow to evoke a sense of rebirth and disorientation. Editing, overseen by Maya Deren with assistance from Hammid, relies on non-linear montage to juxtapose incongruous environments, such as transitioning from the protagonist's climb along a rope-like trunk on the directly into a formal dinner table interior. This rhythmic cutting builds a trance-like , with abrupt juxtapositions and varying shot lengths that disrupt spatial continuity and temporal logic, fostering a dream-induced without reliance on sound. Multiple exposures and superimposed images facilitate self-duplication effects, particularly in sequences where the appears in multiple positions within the frame, amplifying the film's exploration of fragmented identity through visual layering. The film's innovative compositions emphasize verticality in the tree-climbing sequence, where the camera follows an upward trajectory along the , contrasting with horizontal flows in the tabletop chase, where the crawls parallel to the diners' oblivious gazes. As a silent work, At Land depends entirely on these visual pacing techniques—rooted in Deren's background as a choreographer—to convey movement and tension, transforming the medium into a kinetic, body-centered .

Themes and Analysis

Identity and Surrealism

In At Land (1944), explores the core theme of as a precarious struggle amid shifting, mutable environments, where the navigates a world that constantly threatens to dissolve the self into its surroundings. herself described the film as depicting this tension, with the central figure embodying an elusive sense of self that resists fragmentation. The symbolism of the chess queen, as the most autonomous and mobile piece on the board, represents this quest for an independent identity, pursued through a series of ritualistic encounters that affirm the protagonist's agency despite external disruptions. The film's surrealist influences manifest through a dream-logic that evokes psychological fragmentation and the fluidity of , as interpreted by scholars, though Deren rejected Freudian exploration in favor of conscious and technical manipulation. Her exposure to psychoanalytic ideas through her father informed broader interests in the psyche, but she distinguished her work by prioritizing editing techniques like associative cuts and reversed footage over automatic surrealist processes. These elements create a non-linear progression that suspends conventional reality, allowing drives—such as transformation and repetition—to surface as metaphors for the mind's inner conflicts. Key symbols reinforce this exploration of identity's fragility. The reverse tides, through which the emerges onto the shore, symbolize regression to a primal state or mythic rebirth, marking a cyclical passage from elemental chaos to self-assertion. Instances of multiple selves, such as the protagonist's multiplication during encounters with doubles, illustrate internal conflict and the splintering of the psyche under surreal pressures. The scene, where the figure crawls unnoticed across a formal dinner table, depicts societal impositions that alienate and objectify the individual, underscoring the tension between personal autonomy and collective norms. Deren's underlying philosophy frames At Land as a "vertical" investigation of inner psychological depths, contrasting with the "horizontal" progression of traditional narrative cinema that emphasizes external plot advancement. In her essay "An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Form and Film," Deren articulates this approach as one that probes the emotional and metaphysical dimensions of a single moment, using film's capacity for mythic ritual to reveal the imaginative reality beyond surface events. This verticality enables a profound examination of identity not as fixed but as dynamically constructed through surreal confrontations with the self.

Feminist Interpretations

Feminist scholars have interpreted At Land as a of patriarchal structures, with the female 's journey embodying resistance to the and imposed societal roles. The film's central figure, played by Deren herself, emerges from the sea and navigates a series of encounters that symbolize and confinement, such as the chess game where she is treated as a pawn amid male players, and the dinner party where she crawls under a table surrounded by banqueting men, highlighting her exclusion from and subversion of phallocentric spaces. These sequences position the as an active agent who rejects passive femininity, ultimately seizing the chess queen to assert her autonomy against unreliable and singular male figures. As a auteur in the male-dominated American cinema, Deren challenged industry norms by directing, starring in, and self-distributing her work, using At Land to explore female multiplicity through techniques that fragment and replicate her image across diverse settings, contrasting with the static, singular portrayals of men. This portrayal underscores a feminist reclamation of identity, where the woman's body moves fluidly through natural and social landscapes, defying and emphasizing her as a "powerful magical figure" capable of controlling her environment. Scholarly analyses link these elements to Deren's own writings on and , as in her 1960 essay where she describes At Land as a "mythological voyage" involving to critique ritualized social constraints on women. Such interpretations prefigure later , including Laura Mulvey's gaze theory, by inverting the voyeuristic male perspective; Deren's films avoid objectifying female characters for visual pleasure, instead centering a subjective female viewpoint that empowers the protagonist's spatial and bodily navigation. The absence of further amplifies this , allowing visual and choreographic expression to dominate, as Deren argued that sound could disrupt the film's formal integrity and mythic resonance. Recent scholarship, such as a 2025 analysis, further connects the protagonist's journey to the rebirth of through oneiric symbolism, reinforcing Deren's enduring influence on .

Reception and Influence

Critical Response

Upon its release in 1944, At Land circulated primarily through underground networks, including screenings at art venues and small independent theaters, where it garnered initial acclaim for its formal innovation amid limited mainstream exposure due to its abstract, non-narrative structure. A notable early public presentation occurred in 1946 at New York City's Provincetown Playhouse, paired with Deren's and A Study in Choreography for Camera, drawing audiences interested in experimental cinema but receiving scant coverage in broader press. Critics like those in reviewed it alongside Meshes as a bold departure in personal , praising its dreamlike rhythm and symbolic depth while noting its challenge to conventional storytelling. In mid-century critiques, At Land appeared in film journals and was championed by key figures in the scene. Amos Vogel, founder of Cinema 16—the influential New York screening society—programmed and discussed Deren's works, including At Land, in 1950s events and writings, emphasizing their rhythmic power and subversive potential to disrupt perceptual norms. , a prominent advocate for , later included At Land in the ' Essential Cinema series (established 1970), underscoring its enduring value as a cornerstone of American experimental form despite earlier reservations about its stylized symbolism. Modern scholarship from the 1970s through the 2000s has elevated At Land's status, with analyses in collections like Maya Deren and the American Avant-Garde (2001, edited by Bill Nichols) lauding its pioneering use of , spatial disorientation, and ritualistic motifs to explore identity and perception. Scholars such as P. Adams Sitney (1974) classified it as a " film," highlighting its introspective quest structure and erotic undertones, while Maureen Turim and Lucy Fischer praised its innovative editing and mythic elements as foundational to feminist and theory. Overall, it maintains high regard within the experimental canon, evidenced by a 7.5/10 rating from over 3,600 user votes primarily from niche enthusiasts.

Legacy

At Land has exerted a lasting influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers, particularly through its motifs of fluid spatial navigation and dream-like progression. drew direct inspiration from the film's imagery in his 1962 work Blue Moses, where the protagonist's tracks on the beach echo the footprints left by Deren's character in the opening sequence, linking personal introspection with environmental interaction.) This stylistic lineage contributed to the broader shaping of the 1960s movement, as Deren's emphasis on subjective time and ritualistic journeys informed experimental works by filmmakers like and , fostering a wave of personal, non-narrative cinema that challenged conventional storytelling. The film's preservation underscores its canonical status in experimental cinema. Since the 1970s, At Land has been included in ' Essential Cinema Repertory, a curated selection of foundational works screened regularly to ensure ongoing accessibility and study. Restored prints have been distributed through organizations such as Canyon Cinema and the Film-Makers' Cooperative, which maintain high-quality 16mm versions for exhibition and archival purposes, safeguarding Deren's original vision against degradation. Cultural references to At Land extend its reach into popular media and scholarship. The 2012 music video for Garbage's "Blood for Poppies" incorporates visual nods to the film's surreal transitions and noir elements, blending Deren's dream logic with contemporary rock aesthetics. Similarly, David Gilmour's 2015 video for "Faces of Stone" features archival footage from At Land, using Deren's imagery of emergence from the sea to evoke themes of mortality and reflection, as directed by Aubrey Powell. In academia, the film features prominently in retrospectives on Deren, such as those analyzed in Monika Kin Gagnon's Maya Deren: Incomplete Control (2018), which examines its role in advancing trance cinema techniques. As a hallmark of American , At Land exemplifies the era's fusion of psychoanalytic exploration and visual experimentation, distinct from European precedents by emphasizing American landscapes and personal agency. Its creation in the mid- bolstered Deren's posthumous recognition, building on her 1946 for creative work in motion pictures and cementing her legacy as a pioneer whose innovations in identity and temporality continue to resonate in .

References

  1. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/3772
  2. https://assets.moma.org/documents/moma_press-release_387206.pdf
  3. https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/maya-deren-meshes-of-the-afternoon
  4. https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/a0b14b29-3495-54ed-96d7-6cac170c7501/at-land
  5. https://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/collections/preserved
  6. https://www.artforum.com/features/tony-pipolo-on-maya-derens-meshes-of-the-afternoon-1943-and-at-land-1944-231238/
  7. https://film-makerscoop.com/catalogue/maya-deren-at-land
  8. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/how-maya-deren-became-the-symbol-and-champion-of-american-experimental-film
  9. https://academic.oup.com/book/39429/chapter/339156222
  10. https://ragtagcinema.org/film/the-maya-deren-project/
  11. https://harvardartmuseums.org/tour/578/slide/10479
  12. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520227322/maya-deren-and-the-american-avant-garde
  13. https://datjournal.anhembi.br/dat/article/download/66/59/165
  14. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7331-shadow-sides-the-spiritual-journeys-of-nina-menkes
  15. https://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue23/HTML/ArticleWalton.html
  16. https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/deren-2/
  17. https://film-makerscoop.com/filmmakers/maya-deren
  18. https://monoskop.org/images/f/f1/Nichols_Bill_ed_Maya_Deren_and_the_American_Avant-Garde_2001.pdf
  19. https://framescinemajournal.com/article/maya-deren-the-magical-woman-as-filmmaker/
  20. https://americanaejournal.hu/index.php/americanaejournal/article/view/45119/43770
  21. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370216830_Avant-gard_filmmaker_Maya_Deren%27s_feminist_film_At_Land_analysis_and_comparison
  22. https://www.perisphere.org/2025/02/07/oneiric-reflections-and-rebirth-of-femininity-in-maya-derens-meshes-of-the-afternoon-1943-at-land-1944/
  23. https://www.spotlightjournal.org/features/meshes-of-the-afternoon-a-revolution-in-filmmaking
  24. https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2019/20-years-of-senses/great-directors-maya-deren-issue-23-december-2002/
  25. https://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/about/essential-cinema
  26. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036618/
  27. https://film-makerscoop.com/catalogue
  28. https://www.pulse-and-spirit.com/david-gilmour/faces-of-stone-music-video/
  29. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/maya-deren/9780231162203
  30. https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/surrealism-beyond-borders/visiting-guide
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