Film: Divine Horsemen
The Living Gods of
By: Maya Deren
Filmed in
Overview
n18,000 feet of filming edited into this film
nMaya Deren…avantgarde film maker
nNot easy to view some scenes
nNote our own cultural bias in our physical and emotional reactions to certain scenes
nTry to put ourselves in their place
nNote correct pronunciations of key words, for example:
nLwa—low-ah
nGede—Gay-day
nNote certain key ritual objects with their meanings
nDance
nMusic
nPhysical expression
nNote key symbols and their meanings
nAnswer the question: Is the sea sacred?
nNote what behavior indicates the arrival of a spirit in a participant
nAnswer the question: What is the significance of passing a chicken over a participant?
nAnswer the question: What is their attitude toward sacrifice?
nNote the descriptions of the Rada and Petwo spirits and how they differ
nNote how the energy of the Petwo spirits helped the people in the past
nFilm ends with the spring fesitval—Rah-Rah
nNote what it celebrates