''Perpetual Movement'' () is a Canadian short film, directed by

Claude Jutra Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter.

and released in 1949.Peter Rist, ''Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada''.

Greenwood Publishing Group Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG) was an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which was part of ABC-Clio. Since 2021, ABC-Clio and its suite of imprints, including GPG, are collectively imprints of ...

, 2001. . p. 152. An experimental

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

shot in slow motion and set to

Ottokar Nováček Ottokar Eugen Nováček (13 May 1866 – 3 February 1900) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian violinist, violist and composer of Czech people, Czech descent. He is perhaps best known for his work ''Perpetuum Mobile'' (''Perpetual Motion''), ...

's violin composition ''Perpetuum mobile'', the film depicts a

love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

between two men and a woman. It takes significant risks for its era, including portraying the woman as an autonomous sexual being who freely expresses her own desires and depicting subtle but not fully explicit suggestions of

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

desire between the two men. In Peter Rist's 2001 ''Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada'', the film is linked to the contemporaneous Refus Global manifesto of opposition to the staid traditionalism of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

's arts scene in the era, although Jutra was not himself a signatory on the original document. The film won the

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Amateur Film in 1950,"Claude Jutra"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', September 9, 2006. and led to

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

extending Jutra a job offer to work for the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

References

External links

* 1949 films Canadian drama short films Canadian LGBTQ-related short films Canadian Screen Award–winning films Films directed by Claude Jutra Canadian black-and-white films 1940s Canadian films 1940s LGBTQ-related films {{short-film-stub