Non-narrated treatment of the activities carried out in an abattoir. An unlikely subject for a documentary, but the filmmaker captures the strength and terrible beauty in the daily preparation for slaughter. The sound track echoes with hard metallic knives being ground, tested and sharpened. No beast is actually shown being killed but the slaughter is mirrored in the blood-red faces of the men and the scenes of water flushing away the blood to a river - thus water purges but never really cleans the walls of the slaughter house. A powerful film - almost abstract at times. Perhaps even more effective because of what it leaves unsaid and unshown.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
507043
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)