The Village Detective: a song cycle

Dir: Bill Morrison
Original Music: David Lang

During the summer of 2016, a fishing boat off the coast of Iceland found a surprise catch from the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean in their fishing net: four reels of 35mm film. After cleaning and examination by the National Film Archive of Iceland, the incomplete print was identified to be the Soviet film The Village Detective (1969). It was nothing like a hidden gem of remarkable significance in the history of Russian cinema, and it wasn’t even the only existing copy. For some Russians of that generation though, it was a popular and much-loved film. And Mikhail Zharov, the lead actor in the film, was an important figure in Russian cinema and theatre. The director interviewed the fisherman who found the reels and representatives from the film archive, and delved into Soviet film history and Zharov’s legacy. By reediting the heavily water-damaged frames of visuals, the story of a detective investigating accordion theft is resurfaced, after resting at the bottom of the sea for nearly half a century. Morrison presents a poetic meditation on the passage of time, accompanied by a poignantly beautiful accordion music score by David Lang.

Bill Morrison (1965-)
Based in New York, Morrison makes films that reframe long-forgotten moving images. He made over forty works since the 1990s by using archival materials or pre-existing sources with original music. His films have premiered at the New York, Rotterdam, Sundance, and Venice film festivals. In 2014 Morrison had a midcareer retrospective at MoMA. Since his found footage opus Decasia (2002), he has shown particular interest in the motif of decomposition of film materials.