THE REEL LESS TRAVELED

Fog-shrouded mountains, swirling clouds and shifting sands infuse the work of Polish writer-director Lech Majewski. The poet, painter and stage director, a product of the National Film School in Lodz, draws from each of his artistic disciplines to forge a cinema of fluid imagery fueled by psychological and metaphysical questions.

Starting Sunday evening at 7, the UCLA Film and Television Archive will present Conjuring the Moving Image: The Films of Lech Majewski, a six-work demonstration of his ability to create gossamer narratives distilled from reality, history and legend. They transcend language and traditional storytelling to drill directly into the subconscious.

The series opens with Majewski’s latest, “Glass Lips,” which captures the tortured memories of a young writer while confined in an asylum. Originally created as a 33-part, multiscreen video installation titled “Blood of a Poet,” it is a challenging meditation summoning an abusive father and severe Catholicism.

Sound is also a key part of Majewski’s composition. In one sequence, the poet slowly rips a photo of a mountain, but instead of hearing the paper tear, the soundtrack emits the screech of stones grinding together, and soon dust and dirt are raining down upon him from above.

It’s true “art cinema” in the sense that it’s much closer to watching moving paintings than anything you’ll see in even the artsiest commercial venue.

-- Kevin.Crust@latimes.com