Object Lessons: Postcard Dance the Night Away by Eli Reed

During the class I chose an object, it is a postcard from the Magnum Photo Agency with a photo of Eli Reed titled The Perth Amboy High School Classe of 1965 taken in New Jersey in 2000. This is a class reunion after 35 years.

Eli Reed, The Perth Amboy High School Class of 1965 Reunion at the Clarion Hotel, New Jersey, 2000

The scene from this photo reminded me of one of the scenes from the Polish film ''Salto". The dancing scene, incredible, which for people who know the historical background on the other side of the Iron Curtain, is a striking experience of the suffering of an individual in a totalitarian reality. This is a film by Tadeusz Konwicki, whose story "combined elements of Kafka and biblical allusions". (NYT, 1966) It is a surreal film from 1965 that tells the story of a young man, Jozef, played by Zbigniew Cybulski, who tries to find his place in the absurd reality of the Polish People's Republic, which was then under the occupation of the USSR. The film is full of surrealistic visions, unconventional narrative and symbolism. It was supposed to show alienation and chaos, the main character's search for his place in the world. (NYT, 1966)

The photo shows people who graduated from school in the USA in the 1960s and led a peaceful, free and joyful life. A life not burdened with constant anxiety and fear of what their next day will look like. And only a year later, Konwicki, in a completely different reality, makes the film "Salto",  film criticism of depriving an individual of freedom and happiness, and immersing himself in system that terrorised the individual and supported the collective.

                                              

                                                            Salto by Tadeusz Konwicki

References

NYTimes (1966). ‘Salto,’ an Allegory From Poland, Opens. The New York Times. [online] 4 Oct. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/04/archives/salto-an-allegory-from-poland-opens.html [Accessed 24 Apr. 2024].