And the Pig Was Born

Synopsis

Moving from The Wolf to found footage in And the Pig Was Born is a striking transition which should create a sense of pushing the audience into subconscious territory – an interesting progression after the literal death of The Wolf, which highlights cycles of birth and re-birth as a subtext in And the Pig Was Born. A Cine-Poem made for the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris exposition VIOLA, from "found" footage taken from hundreds of unfinished films stored in Anthology Film Archives' basement.

"A tour-de-force montage film with the spirit of Vigo and Buñuel hovering over it. Made before Godard's Origins of the 21st.Century, Ziz's film provokes interesting comparisons. Both deal with images of the 20th century. But while Godard's film could be described as a poster, Ziz's film is a poem." – Jonas Mekas

English translation for French intertitles And the Pig Was Born
French Text by Lithuanian poet O.V. de L. Milosz-Milašius
Translation by Jonas Mekas

1.
O mon enfant!
Ce temps qui vient!
Pour eux! Pour nous!
O mon enfant!
Ce temps qui vient!

O my child!
The time is here!
For them! For us!
O my child!The time is here

2.
J’ai fermé ma vue et 
mon cœur
Les voici réconfortés

I closed my
Eyes, locked my 
Heart and now
They are strong 
Again

3.
Quand on blesse
un poète on perd
l’éternité

When a poet is
Hurt
Eternity is
Lost

4.
O Maison, Maison!
pourquoi m’avez-vous
laissé partir

Oh my home
My home
Why did you let
Me go away

5.
Il faut de sacrilèges
Merveilles–nous
le savons

Sacrilegious
Miracles are needed
We know it

6.
De la vie à la vie
quel chemin!

From life to
Life
Oh what
Road

7.
C’est la terrible
paix des homes
sans amour

This ominous
Peace of loveless
Existence

8.
O mon frère! o mon
corps! ne crains pas.
Je connais le chemin

Oh my brother
Oh my body
Do not fear
I know the way

9.
Cent ans
Pour apprendre
et parler sans mépris
de la femme. O Amour

Hundreds of years
To learn
To speak fairly
Of women
Oh my love

10.
Très long silence

Long, long pause

11.
Le jour a dispersé
ses bouffons;
Tout repose

The day threw
Out court
Jesters
Everything is 
At rest

12 & 13
Trop sage, éternité,
ah laissez-moi vivre
mon jour!

Eternity,
Mother, let me
Live my day
To its end

14.
O mon frère! o mon
corps! ne crains pas.
Je connais le chemin

Oh my brother
Oh my body
Do not fear
I know the way