Three by Cornell (1940): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1940, Three by Cornell is a notable film directed by Lawrence Jordan.

What it’s about. Includes: CHILDREN'S PARTY, COTILLION, THE MIDNIGHT PARTY | These are the first three of the six films Cornell gave me to finish before he died. I have not changed the editing structure. I have made the films printable. They are the first known fully collaged films, i.e., films made from found footage, and were done sometime in the '40s. Cornell combines Vaudeville jugglers, animal acts, circus performers, children eating and dancing, science demonstrations, mythical excerpts, and crucial freeze-frames of faces into a timeless structure, totally unconcerned with our usual expectations of "montage" or cinematic progression. He collects images and preserves them in some kind of cinematic suspension that is hard - impossible - to describe. But it's a delight to anyone whose soul has not been squashed by the heavy dictates of Art.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Three by Cornell page.