Movies

In 1993-95 Marcia created her innovative lyrical film based on her book The Tear-drop of the Clown. She worked single handed with incredible devotion and no rest for three years – filming, editing, reading, recording, acting. Today many people experiment with the camera, but in 1995 works like this were very rare. The film was done in two versions – Bulgarian and English. While the Bulgarian version is a complete creation, the English suffers significant loss by the translation of the poems. They lost their rhythm, rhyme, inner music and atmosphere. But the wonderful classical music and the art works chosen by the writer, as well as the symbolism and cultural significance, makes the film pleasant to watch. We hope you will enjoy it.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THIS FILM

When the idea about the film emerged in 1993 I had no idea how to make a film. There were no such ambitious works around. I had to teach myself. Step by step I discovered what I need and how to operate. The fact that I was a broadcaster in the ethnic Radio ZZZ in Melbourne was of great benefit. There I made the recordings. Then I had to mix them with the images and to edit. It was a Hercules’s task. But it was worthy.

I began working with a great enthusiasm. The film had to have several parts. I needed introduction for each one. So I decided to start with the introductions while I taught myself of film making. I wanted to express the influence on me from the three major countries in my life – Bulgaria, Australia and Scandinavia, to make a bridge between their unique cultures. The film is filled manly with symbols and traditions from these countries.

I made four introductions. The first shows my Bulgarian books presented in the film. It is made in my Australian home showing Bulgarian traditional souvenirs. The second is connected to the Bulgarian part “Immigrant’s Rhapsody”. The third – to “Australian Nocturne”. Here the viewer will hear traditional aboriginal music – not made from didgeridoo though, but by playing with a leaf by a Bulgarian musician. The fourth – the immediate introduction before the film – has Scandinavian elements – the music of Grieg “The summer is gone” as a background of the Australian autumn nature.

There are many symbols in the film. I didn’t wish even to show myself directly. First the viewer will hear my voice humming – the echo in my soul from the song of Grieg. The tear on the face of the clown also is presented symbolically by a weeping candle. The clown (symbolically it is me) passes by as a vision while I read a book with my poems. The southing music of Massenet Meditation de Thais after the poem Self-portrait is interrupted by the forceful extract from Verdi’s Requiem and then continues again with the poem Magic – the storm of life is gone and the beauty of living starts its journey.

After I finish the film I wanted to separate the introductions and place them with the relative parts of the film. But this never happened. It seems that it had to be that way. Together they best present the ideas of each and the connectivity of the traditional cultures. Even though some time passes before the actual film starts, the introductions contain the atmosphere of the entire film and prepare the viewer for the magic of the united pieces of art – poetry, classical music, world best artistic works, nature, live images, philosophy of life. Hope you will enjoy it.