UNMUTE
THE CRYSTAL GAZE
2007
Super 16mm
Colour and Black and White
8.00
min

In ‘Crystal Gaze’, three women inhabit a lavish setting—the magnificently Art Deco rooms of Eltham Palace in London. Clad in impeccable period clothing and pearl jewelry, evoking the extravagance of the 1920s, these women become the medium through which Mayer draws a visual parallel to the tradition of classical Hollywood cinema and its iconic stars. Unlike her earlier films, this piece features a script, though it takes the form of individual statements, monologues, and quotations. The cinematic role-playing weaves a complex web of dramatization, camera work, and staging.

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Written and directed by
Ursula Mayer
Script editor
Michelle Deignan
Director of Photography
David Rom
1st assistant camera
Kate NcDonough
1st assistant director
Stuart Parkins
Productions Manager
Dana Munro
Stills
Tim Brotherton
Cast
Helen Baker, Olivia Mace, Ulrika Belogriva
Editors
Ursula Mayer, Konrad Welz
Sound
Diego Sanchez, Simon Barthope
Gaffer
Frank Usher, Mark Bayley
Clapper loader
Sophie Monneret
Costume Stylist
Margaret Andrew
Make up
Lisa Hollis
Art department
Sarah Frere
Special props
Martin Fletcher
Runner
Ollie Larkin
Special Thanks
English Heritage, UK