Hans Richter: Ghosts before Breakfast

Hawks Pavilion Media Gallery H6 Hans Richter’s Ghosts before Breakfast is a classic short film that reveals mysterious forces lurking beneath the orderly façade of modern life. In the span of ten minutes, ordinary objects rebel from their daily routine and follow their own impulses. A bowtie undoes itself, bowler hats float through the air, windows open and close, and coffee cups leap from a tray to smash themselves on the ground. At the stroke of noon, all returns to normal. Richter eschewed the conventional expectation of narrative and embraced film for its ability to create movement. He us…