Ionesco Screens Movie Before Overflow Audience

Eugene Ionesco, the noted French playwright and author, addressed an overflow-crowd last night in the Hilles Cinema at a rare public screening of his only film, "La Vase."

In a five-minute introduction to the film which was delivered in French, Ionesco said, "I don't wish to explain my movie because one hour of art is already explanation enough."

He added that "I've always wanted to make films but unfortunately I've only found theatrical producers."

Clear the Aisles

Accompanied by his wife and France's consul general, Ionesco entered the hall only after Harvard policemen made several unsuccessful attempts to clear the crowded aisles.

"La Vase" ("The Quicksand") was produced in 1971, and features Ionesco as both scriptwriter and its only leading actor.

Focusing on the circumstances leading to an old man's death and decay in a swamp of quicksand, the work is, as Ionesco described it, "rather sad--the story of a man who does not know his reason for living."

The presentation, sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture and the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, was originally scheduled to include a discussion period with Ionesco after the screening.

The discussion was cancelled, however, to allow time for a second unscheduled screening for the large number of people who were turned away at first.

Ionesco is a leading figure of the "Theater of the Absurd" and the author of such internationally produced plays as "The Bald Soprano," "Rhonoceros," "Exit the King" and "The Killer."

Ionesco's appearance at Harvard is part of a three-week lecture tour in this country and marks his first public visit to the Boston area.