Erotic Fragment, c. 1920s

c. 1920s. Director unknown.

This short erotic fragment shows a topless female dancer in a combination of close-ups, as she performs – somewhat awkwardly – a type of Oriental veil dance. The transitions between shots sometimes reveal striking superimpositions, especially as the camera homes in on a multi-string pearl necklace that cascades down from her spectacular showgirl’s headpiece.

From the archive of EYE Film Institute Netherlands.

Past screenings

Birds of Paradise – London
Saturday 4 December 2010, 19:00 | Tate Modern
Screened as a part of the programme ‘Unrestrained Indulgence’.