March 9, 1982
Mannus Franken (6 February 1899 – 1 August 1953) was a Dutch filmmaker who played an important role in the development of Indonesian cinema. He made his debut as a writer before working with Joris Ivens in producing two documentary films. In 1934 he was called to the Dutch East Indies by Albert Balink to help with the production of Pareh (1936). Franken stayed in the Indies until before World War II, making newsreels. After the war he returned to the country and continued this work. In 1949 Franken returned to the Netherlands, where he made another film before his death.
In his seminar of 9 March 1982, Deleuze refers to the short documentary film Rain (orig. Regen, 1929), which was co-directed by Joris Ivens and Franken about a rain shower in Amsterdam. Considered by many a masterpiece of Dutch avant-garde cinema, it is an impressionist and lyrical example of a “city symphony” that organizes urban images according to musical guidelines by combining experimental, documentary and narrative techniques. During the rain shower, the city becomes a screen that the camera uncovers and doubles.