Maya Deren's "Mashes in the Afternoon" Film Review by Top Papers

This paper examines Maya Deren's first and most famous film, "Meshes in the Afternoon", a film she made with her husband, Alexander Hammid. This paper analyzes the various elements of the form of this dream-like film, including the sound and mise-en scene. The paper also examines the relationship between the form and the content of this film, and in particular how this relationship created the meaning of the film. This paper argues that Deren chose to use film as an art form, rather than as a means to tell a story. The paper shows how through the form of the film and through the elements of the form, rather then through narration, Deren tell her 'story'.