One of the most important films of the seventies, The Hypothesis of theStolen Painting began as a documentary on writer Pierre Klossowski but soon became, in Ruiz's words, a fiction about theory." A pompous art collector" offers a new history of western art through a guided tour of a fantastic gallery of living images all created by the forgotten" artist Tonnerr. As our guide drones away about aspects of his collection the human figures begin to smirk and fidget emphasizing their play-acting and introducing a new level" of spectating into the narrative. Structured as a kind of never-ending detective thriller, Ruiz's film is a daring, fascinating meditation on the relationship between words and images, between works of art and their description or interpretation. Photographed by Sacha Vierny. In French with Raul Ruiz---France---1978---67 mins.Directed by: Ruiz, RaulRunning time: 87Year: 1978French with English Subtitles
