Following up one of this century’s greatest films, Dawson City: Frozen Time, Bill Morrison returns with The Village Detective: a song cycle, another excavation of lost cinema. This time he explores the life and career of Soviet actor Mikhail Zharov, the impetus being four reels of 35mm film discovered off the coast of Iceland in 2016. Following a premiere at Rotterdam earlier this year and a recent North American premiere at Telluride, Kino Lorber will release the film next week at IFC Center and we’re pleased to premiere the first trailer.
Greatly successful as a kind of version of a biographical documentary that only Morrison could deliver, the trailer explores the director’s unique approach. With a fantastic score by David Lang, the director mesmerizingly weaves through an entire life of unbridled creativity while also, once again, instilling the importance of film preservation.
Watch the trailer below.
Listen to our recent discussion with Morrison on The B-Side below.
The Village Detective: a song cycle opens at NYC’s IFC Center on Wednesday, September 22 and will expand.