''Borderline'' is a 1930 film, written and directed by Kenneth Macpherson and produced by the

Pool Group The Pool Group were a trio of filmmakers and poets consisting of H.D., Kenneth Macpherson, and Bryher (Annie Winifred Ellerman). Their work has been studied by poetry and film historians as well as by scholars of mysticism, feminism and psycho ...

Territet Territet (Montreux) is a locality which is part of the Montreux commune, in the Vaud canton, Switzerland. Geography Territet is located between the city center of Montreux and the village of Veytaux, within the municipality of Montreux, o ...

, Switzerland. The silent film, with English

title cards In films and videos, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (hence, ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred ...

, is primarily noted for its handling of the contentious issue of

interracial relationships Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different "Race (classification of human beings), races" or Ethnic group#Ethnicity and race, racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United Sta ...

, using

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that does not apply standard cinematic conventions, instead adopting Non-narrative film, non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many e ...

-making techniques, and is today very much part of the curriculum of the study of modern cinematography. The film, which features

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

, Eslanda Robeson, and H.D., was originally believed to have been lost, but was discovered, by chance, in Switzerland in 1983. An original 16mm copy of this film is now held in the Donnell Media Center, New York City Public Library. In 2006, the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Cast

as Pete * Eslanda Robeson as Adah * Gavin Arthur as Thorne * H.D. (billed as Helga Doorn) as Astrid * Charlotte Arthur as The Barmaid * Blanche Lewin as The Old Lady

Plot

The film revolves around an interracial love triangle and its effects on the local townsfolk. The story is based in a guesthouse occupied by a pair of liberal, hedonistic young people sympathetic to the emerging black American culture. In what would have been frowned upon at the time, the manager has let out a room to a black couple, Pete and Adah. Adah has an affair with Thorne, a white man, much to the dismay of the prejudiced townsfolk and Thorne's wife, Astrid. Pete attempts a reconciliation with Adah, but she eventually decides to leave him and the town. Astrid confronts Thorne about the affair and attacks him with a knife. In the scuffle, Astrid is killed. The film concludes with the aftermath of Thorne's trial for murder and the townsfolk's resolution of the issue.

Cinematic techniques

Macpherson was particularly influenced by the

cinematic techniques This article contains a list of cinematic techniques that are divided into categories and briefly described. Basic definitions of terms ;180-degree rule :A continuity editorial technique in which sequential shots of two or more actors within ...

of G.W. Pabst and

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

, whom he first met in 1929. In ''Borderline'', he uses avant-garde, experimental film-making techniques, blending Eisenstein’s montage innovation and Pabst’s psycho-analytical approach, to identify the emotional and psychological states of the film’s characters. These techniques called for unconventional post-production editing, the use of light and shadow, and exaggerated movement on the part of the actors. "Macpherson’s brilliance lies in his ability to photograph small movements as nuanced, meaning-producing gestures".

Conclusion

"Judged on its own merits, ''Borderline'' is a ground-breaking work, dealing as it does with issues of race and sexuality at a time when such subject matter was still largely taboo and had only been previously tackled cinematically through oblique inference". It was decades before the cinematic community addressed the subject matter raised in ''Borderline''. At the time of its release, ''Borderline'' was a film that confused and bewildered critics leading Clive MacManus of the ''London Evening Standard'' to advise Macpherson "to spend a year in a commercial studio" before attempting something as difficult again. Deeply upset by its hostile reception, Macpherson archived his film and withdrew from film directing. Macpherson’s work influenced film-makers such as

Nathaniel Dorsky Nathaniel Dorsky (born 1943) is an American experimental filmmaker and film editor. His film career began during the New American Cinema movement of the 1960s, when he met his partner Jerome Hiler. He won an Emmy Award in 1967 for his work on the ...

and Robert Beavers.

Film and legacy details

For many years, ''Borderline'' was largely inaccessible to film scholars, with rare copies in a few archives around the world. It was seldom screened in public. Many film historians of avant garde and experimental film-making, feel that it represents one of the last examples of modernism of the 1920s, when many artists had hoped that artistic experimentation and commercial viability need not be mutually exclusive. An anonymous libretto, 'The Borderline Pamphlet', credited to H.D., was written to accompany – and explain – the film.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borderline (1930 Film) 1930 films 1930 drama films Bisexuality-related films British black-and-white films British avant-garde and experimental films British drama films British LGBTQ-related films British silent feature films Films about race and ethnicity Paul Robeson Swiss silent films 1930s rediscovered films 1930s LGBTQ-related films 1930s avant-garde and experimental films Swiss black-and-white films Rediscovered Swiss films 1930s British films Silent British drama films