Remembrance Wall

Title: The Last Moment

Date: 1928

Distributor: Samuel Freedman-Edward M. Spitz

Director: Paul Fejos

Cast: Otto Matiesen, Julius Molnar, Jr., Lucille La Verne, Anielka Elter, Georgia Hale, Isabelle Lamore, Vivian Winston.

Summary: This experimental drama opens with a shot of man drowning, his hand reaching out of the water. After a series of very quick shots, the film shows the highlights of the man’s life from childhood until the day he walks into the pond to end his life. He wades in until only his hand is visible. Then the hand sinks below the surface and only bubbles rise to the surface.

Notes: Considered the first American avant-garde film. Was shot for only $5,000 and with no explanatory titles.