La Nouvelle Babylone (1929)

Experience the electrifying energy of Dmitri Shostakovich’s *La Nouvelle Babylone* (1929), a cinematic spectacle unlike anything you’ve seen before! This groundbreaking film by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg transports you to 1870 Paris, a city consumed by the illusion of prosperity while French soldiers march to war. Witness the frivolous Parisian bourgeoisie celebrating with cries of "To Berlin!" amidst the bustling, extravagant sales of the “New Babylone” department store. A young saleswoman, Louise, dreams of a glamorous life, invited to a lavish ball – a celebration abruptly shattered by the devastating news of the French army’s defeat and the Prussian advance on Paris. More than just a film, *La Nouvelle Babylone* is a powerful and innovative ballet for the screen, drawing inspiration from the groundbreaking choreography and vibrant aesthetics of the early Russian ballet scene (1909-1913). Constructed with an unparalleled rhythmic precision, this extraordinary work is a visually stunning and deeply moving “dance of death,” chronicling the fall of the Second Empire and the spirit of the Paris Commune. A truly unforgettable cinematic event, recently recognized in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1955 retrospective, *60 Years of Cinema*.