

“The Riddle of Lumen” presents an evenly paced sequence of images, which seem to follow an elusive logic. As in “Zorns Lemma” the viewer is called upon to recognize or invent a principle of association linking each shot with its predecessor. However, here the connection is nonverbal. A similarity, or an antithesis, of color, shape, saturation, movement, composition, or depth links one shot to another. A telling negative moment occurs in the film when we see a child studying a didactic reader in which simply represented objects are coupled with their monosyllabic names in alphabetical order. –P. Adams Sitney. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.

Movie / 1969

Movie / 2023

Movie / 2011

Movie / 2021

Movie / 1949

Movie / 1963

Movie / 1994

Movie / 2008

Movie / 1921

Movie / 2014

Movie / 1972

Movie / 1993

Movie / 1961

Movie / 1962

Movie / 2019

Movie / 2002

“The Riddle of Lumen” presents an evenly paced sequence of images, which seem to follow an elusive logic. As in “Zorns Lemma” the viewer is called upon to recognize or invent a principle of association linking each shot with its predecessor. However, here the connection is nonverbal. A similarity, or an antithesis, of color, shape, saturation, movement, composition, or depth links one shot to another. A telling negative moment occurs in the film when we see a child studying a didactic reader in which simply represented objects are coupled with their monosyllabic names in alphabetical order. –P. Adams Sitney. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.

Movie / 1969

Movie / 2023

Movie / 2011

Movie / 2021

Movie / 1949

Movie / 1963

Movie / 1994

Movie / 2008

Movie / 1921

Movie / 2014

Movie / 1972

Movie / 1993

Movie / 1961

Movie / 1962

Movie / 2019

Movie / 2002