There once was a sailor who was shipwrecked on the treacherous black sea. The injuries he sustained had almost left him fatally wounded. That was until a woman had found him stranded and nursed him back to health but under unmentionable circumstances, she had no choice but to leave him behind. Many, many years later the sailor receives a letter detailing nine clues/rules that would eventually lead him back to his fateful love. Tim Dübbert’s nautical silent film III. captures the sailor’s journey and the arduous task of completing these steps. Dübbert is the sole director, producer, and filmmaker of this movie. Joined by his family and peers in Mönchengladbach, Germany: Chris Dübbert, Irina Dübbert, Luisa Dübbert, Stephen Erckmann, Klaus Fabian, Susanna Fried, and Damian te Beesen; the story of this unnamed sailor is brought to life. The thirteen minute submission to the 2022 United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival was shot and animated entirely on Super 8mm film and will be screened online as part of the Day 1 - Program 1 on Saturday, February 19.
For starters, I would like to mention how the use of a Super 8 film camera brings about a certain authenticity that this type of film really needed. And normally movies in black and white, with storylines pertaining to early history, containing the nature of this archetypal fisherman protagonist do not particularly interest me. So naturally I felt inclined to dismiss this piece of work, but I realize now that would have been a huge disservice to not only those involved in creating the film, but also to myself. Because although it is not my typical genre, the editing, comedic timing, and subversion into magical realism was a very unexpected yet pleasant surprise. What really started to win me over was a scene where the protagonist is given the clue that “glass after glass of wine reveals; from happy to sad, from loud to very quiet.” Then we are shown a man, seemingly living on the streets, who encounters the protagonist and asks for a glass of wine. He finishes it and our sailor has it refilled immediately and hands him another glass; this exchange continues approximately six more times. The use of photoplay music (genre of music for silent films) gives a lighthearted feel, until the man begins to lose his bearings. The more he drinks, the more the music slows and grows out of tune, and the camera filming the cue cards numbering the amount of drinks he’s had becomes unstable and out of focus; mimicking the man’s ascension into a drunken state. This amusing montage emphasizes the originality of the film while allowing it to maintain its authenticity to this era of silent filmmaking. And so I agree that the choice in lack of dialogue is integral to maintain the structure of the movie but it may leave the audience confused upon their first viewing of the film.
This stylistic choice forces the viewer to make a lot of their own assumptions about the main character's actions and the progression of the story that the filmmaker may not be trying to convey. I found myself making a lot of guesses and was left with a lot of questions after seeing the film for the first time. Upon re-watching, I was able to solidify some original thoughts but came up with completely different ideas that contradicted my initial observations the first time around. And perhaps this is Dübbert’s intention, but I feel that moments of clarity and context could be a huge help for the audience’s sake. But I truly believe III. has potential to keep the audience entertained with its many possible meanings and refreshing sense of originality, but I cannot help but think that the possibility of the audience’s confusion overpowering their enjoyment is fairly high. All in all, this short has definitely opened my mind to taking interest in more silent films and styles similar to this in the future, and therefore I am very glad to have been given this viewing opportunity.
The 2022 United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival which is part of the New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place on Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20, 2022. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. More info is available here: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2022.eventive.org
