Claire Rousay Previews Reimagined Score For 1980 Animated Film The Bloody Lady
Earlier this year, the LA-based experimental artist Claire Rousay released her powerful new LP sentiment, and it’s one of our favorites of the year thus far. Next month, she’ll collaborate with Jeff Tweedy on the all-star benefit compilation TRAИƧA. After a couple of high-profile moments like that, Rousay is doing the obvious thing: Releasing a newly composed score for a classic of experimental Slovakian animated cinema.
Director Viktor Kubal made the 1980 film The Bloody Lady based on bloody folktales about Elisabeth Bathory, and Claire Rousay recorded her reimagined score for the movie at her LA home studio last year. She played her score live at Belgium’s Videodroom / Film Fest Gent last year, and she’ll do it again at New York’s Nitehawk Cinema this month. Rousay’s score was commissioned shortly after she visited Bathory’s castle, and she’ll release it as an album next month. Here’s what Rousay says about the film:
On the surface, it presents a literal, fairytale-like narrative, but the deeper you go, the more subtle details emerge. While [the characters’] actions seem intentionally straightforward, the perception of right and wrong becomes skewed when viewed from different perspectives. Being submerged in this world allowed me to experience the story from within and engage with the characters and plot from multiple angles… The actions surrounding the heart are pivotal in the film, and, along with its heartbeat, they formed the initial pulse of the score.
Check out a track from the score below.
Rousay’s The Bloody Lady score is out 11/8 on Thrill Jockey. Check out our recent interview with her here.
