In an exclusive interview with the director of Leda, Samuel Tressler IV, we delve deeper into the fascinating origins and artistic intentions behind this modern retelling of the ancient Greek legend.
While there are many films that are based on a book, Leda draws from the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan. We follow Leda as she navigates the complexities of pregnancy intertwined with haunting memories and startling visions. In this interview, Samuel Tressler IV elaborates on the highly experimental nature of the film, where the absence of dialogue and the timeless setting create an engrossing atmosphere reminiscent of silent cinema.
Despite the lack of verbal communication, the emotional depth of the plot remains palpable, guided by Leda's poignant emotions and vivid recollections. With both a traditional 2D release and a groundbreaking 3D VR experience, the unique art film Leda offers library patrons, students, and other potential viewers an unconventional and immersive cinematic encounter. Leda transcends mere storytelling; it is a visceral, cerebral, and visually stunning ode to the enduring power of myth and artistry.
What inspired you to retell the ancient Greek legend of Leda in a modern context?
The myth excited me artistically and thematically. Leda and the Swan is one of the most iconic themes in art history with paintings and sculptures by masters ranging from Da Vinci to Dali. Approaching my first feature-length project with all of the ambitions and aspirations of a young lover of film as an incredible art form, I saw an opportunity to continue Leda’s legacy, this time as a motion picture. Beyond this, the myth provided a wellspring of themes to explore; pregnancy, trauma, isolation, and divine intervention. The myth tells of the occurrence between Zeus and Leda and the offspring that led to the beginning of modern history, but nowhere in my research could I find details of who Leda was and how this holy conception, reflective of major religions today, affected her. This became the main subject that I wanted to explore.
What research or preparation did you undertake to ensure authenticity and fidelity to the original myth while also offering a fresh interpretation?
In the end, the film is more of a reimagining than a direct adaptation of the myth. In my initial research of the myth I was able to find basic aspects of Leda’s life, who her father was (King Thesis), her husband (Tyndareus, King of Sparta), the children she birthed (Helen of Troy, Clytamneastra, Castor, Pollux), sometimes it was two children, sometimes four. These elements served as the basic character structure for the story; a father, a husband, a swan, and a child. In building our script, we wanted to respect the myth but also have the artistic license to create our own story, specifically centered on Leda and her experience rather than just her interaction with Zeus, or the identity of her child/children. I researched as many past artistic renderings of Leda as I could find to gather visual inspiration, but by the time we entered production the piece was now its own and I left the myth behind.
I wasn’t sure how those approaching the film with a specific interest in the myth would react, but during our festival run, we were invited to screen in the city of Agrinio, Greece, the place where Leda was said to have grown up, to an audience so proud to see a modern version of their local myth told on the screen. It was an incredible ending to the journey.
Can you elaborate on the decision to use early 19th-century dress and lack of dialogue in the film? How did this choice contribute to the overall atmosphere and narrative?
The film is designed to be experiential for the viewer in a way that is very dependent on its medium. Instead of telling a traditional narrative with dialogue and a three-act structure, I wanted to explore the concept of pure cinema and expected that the lack of dialogue would force me to find a different harmony between the other filmic elements of cinematography, montage, lighting, sound, and performance. This led to a lot of experimentation with pacing and story structure and gave the film the unique and visceral quality that I was hoping for. There was certainly a fear early on that the absence of speaking would alienate an audience from the character and the story, but I think it instead pulls the viewer in, embellishing the performance, visuals, and soundscape.
The use of black and white photography and an undefined, 19th-century-esque setting were two elements intended to immediately set the tale outside of reality. From the first few shots, the viewer realizes this is no slice-of-life story, but instead feels more like a dream or a memory. This is the space I like to explore in my filmmaking, a dreamy world that reflects life.
Could you discuss the use of VR technology in Leda and how it enhances the viewing experience? What prompted the decision to offer a 3D VR-enabled experience alongside the traditional 2D theatrical release?
I’m very interested in the tools of the medium and how they affect the experience of the viewing audience. When I was young I was asked by an eye doctor to take a test in which I had to wear 3D glasses and pinch the wings of a fly. Ever since then, I have been captivated by the illusion of 3D space on a 2D plane, but honestly, I didn’t care for the majority of 3D films I had seen. Though I find the escapist element of movie watching one of its greatest tools, these films often used 3D as a gimmicky, theme-park add-on rather than utilizing it as a storytelling element.
With no dialogue, I wanted every technical aspect of the production to be focused on the character and her psychological journey. The cinematography used different elements such as infrared and anamorphic lenses to visually delineate dreams and memory and the lighting, make-up, and 3D all followed a scale system we created relevant to Leda’s mental journey. I hoped that by using 3D in this way, the audience would subliminally begin to enter Leda’s mental state, also finding themselves separated from the surroundings and other characters as she grew more detached.
Were there any particular films, directors, or artistic movements that influenced your approach to Leda?
My initial influences pulled a lot from the early silent cinema era. During my film studies, I found inspiration in the trick photography of Méliès, the expressionism of Murnau and Lang,the montage experiments of Eisenstein and Kuleshov, and the magical realism of Vigo and Epstein. These early masters of the medium explored what a film could be and how to best express something to an audience. I hoped to continue such an exploration of my own.
What do you hope audiences will take away from their experience watching Leda?
I hope that the audience is transported by the film, drawn into this dreamy world by its beautiful imagery and carried by Adeline Thery’s incredible performance to traverse their own childhood and memories of love and loss as they piece together the mystery. With its deliberately meditative pace, I want it to feel as if you are waking from a dream, returning to reality at the close of the film.
How do you envision educators incorporating the film into their curriculum?
Leda fits well into a cinema studies program primarily. With its unique use of cinematography, lighting, editing, and acting, the film is itself a film study rooted in film history. It also accompanies mythology studies as well as art history studies.
Can you highlight any unique features or benefits of the film that would appeal to library patrons?
Being dialogue-free, the film has a universal appeal to patrons speaking any language or those hard of hearing. While not as well known in the States, a poem by Yeats, the myth of Leda and the Swan is at the crossroads of the ending of Greek civilization and the beginning of the modern era.
How does this film fill a gap or address a specific need within a library's collection?
This is one of the only motion picture representations of the myth of Leda and the Swan, perhaps the only feature film. It is unique amongst modern films in its wordlessness and in being one of the very few independent 3D films (both 2D and 3D available on Bluray).
In what ways does the film offer valuable insights or perspectives that can enhance classroom discussions or learning experiences?
Along with this film possibly opening a pandora’s box of discovering all the many interpretations of Leda by so many painters/sculptors, the themes of trauma and mental health become a conversation to be continued. With a focus on its filmmaking, the non-linear approach that peels away at Leda’s emotional and mental states lends a fresh perspective to modern storytelling.