Film Group
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Series Ten: With their supposed idiosyncratic personalities, yet paradoxically broad-based fandom, artists (across all disciplines) have been frequent subjects of the popular cinema since its early days. For example, Vincent Van Gogh has had numerous films produced about his life, continuing even in recent years. Because they seem above the ordinary, artists fascinate us: their specialness offers a glimpse of a more brilliant existence for ourselves. Such a glimpse, however, can be a trap not only for us, whose dreams of a more intense life are easily exploited by a consumerist society eager to fulfill them, but especially for the artists themselves, whose humanity as well as their artistic contribution can be cheapened.
February 25 – Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1967), directed by Jean-Marie Straub, decenters the story of the great composer by shifting the focus to his second wife through voice-over readings from her diary. Along with these readings (concerned with day-to-day activities from the composer’s life) the film offers a wealth of Bach’s music, presented “not as commentary [as it usually is in films] but as aesthetic material itself” as Straub himself explained. Further challenging convention, the music is exhibited unadorned, so as not to detract from its power.
When: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 3:30pm
Where: Room 135, Earth Ocean Sciences Main Bldg, 6339 Store Road
Event Details
February 25, 2020
3:30pm to 5:00pm
Room 135, Earth Ocean Sciences Main Bldg, 6339 Store Road
Vancouver, BC, CA
V6T 1Z4