The Mysteries of the Chateau of Dice is a "domestic" documentary shot by Man Ray under special commission, without financial restrictions, from the Viscounts de Noailles, a patron of the modern art who wanted to have a film about his new rationalist villa, designed by the famous architect Mallet-Stevens, in Hyères. In the short film (originally 27 minutes) Man Ray intends, in addition to merely documenting the house in a conventional way, according to the commission received, to make a kind of "global cinema" by introducing elements of architecture, sculpture, poetry (the main axis is Mallarmé's verse: "un coup de dés jamais n'abolirá le hasard", from 1987), painting, and scenography, as well as effects cinematographic specials that connect with the special experimental style of Man Ray's "Videopoèmes".
Originally made as a silent film, it has become traditional to offer it with a musical compilation made by Jacques Guillot, from the discotheque of the time of the own Man Ray.
What this new remastering (published for its screening at the 2021 Cultural Week of the Martín Tenllado Conservatory, in Malaga) offers as an interesting feature is the renovation of musical works in new recordings and editions that appreciably improve the sound of slate records from the 1930s. The Gymnopédies (1 and 2, according to the Debussy's whimsical numbering for orchestra) have been taken from Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Don Alfonso's Batucada has been taken from Cugat's version, instead of the old one from Morand, we believe that improving the sound a lot.
Special case (and essential objective of this reconstruction) is the long percussion piece "Samba Tembo", by Thurston Knudson and Augie Goupil, which does not have any recording updated (and without frying): a new recording has been made especially for the occasion in the ATI-Gabirol Lab, in Malaga, by the percussion group of the Conservatorio Martín Tenllado (coordinator: Javier Navas), with the outstanding intervention of Samuel Pelaez as soloist.
And another peculiarity of this reconstruction is to introduce, after the Fox Trot "Swinga-Dilla Street", a piece by Georges Auric (the Trio per Oboe, Clarinetto e Fagotto), performed by the Arundo Donax Ensemble, for several reasons: the first is that Auric is part of the film's actors, and his closeness to Man Ray and the film's aesthetics is evident; the second is that, during that shoot, the possibility of a later analogous project arose where, yes, Auric music would surely go, a project that, unfortunately, was never carried out perform. However, it seems fair to introduce musical elements from the musician who has been closest to the film, although no album of his was later found in the Ray's discotheque; but above all, because his music is magnificent and goes perfectly with certain funny "surreal-dadaist" scenes.
The documentation and general elaboration was carried out by the "Música de Cine" classroom of the Martín Tenllado Conservatory, under the coordination of Dr. Ortiz Morales, in the Laboratory of the Center, from February to May 2021.