Chronicle Of Anna Magdalena Bach (DVD)
APPROX. 93 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1968 - MPA RATING: NR
" You get the sense not simply of listening to a movie soundtrack, but to the real performances as they might have sounded to Bach or anyone else listening at the time.
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Note that the title of the film is not "Chronicle of Johann Sebastian Bach." Though the focus is on the composer, the heart of the story is really Anna´s near-religious devotion to her husband and his work. She sacrificed greatly during her life, losing eight of her children and, eventually, her husband who died on Jul 28, 1750. Anna Magdalena may not have created Bach´s music, but she remains as the keeper of her husband´s memory and his art and she is a moving and eloquent witness to his legacy.
A feast for the ears and the eyes, "Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" is, at the very least, a minor masterpiece and, more importantly, a hell of a lot of fun.
Video
The film is presented in a windowboxed 1.33:1 format. Instead of a typical full-screen 1.33:1 presentation, the transfer comes with thin black bars on all four sides. Some viewers might find this distracting because it is relatively unfamiliar. The black and white photography looks sharp and this restored transfer does justice to this immaculately composed movie.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. No, you don´t get the full multi-channel surround sound experience but that would defeat the purpose of the movie, wouldn´t it? The music sounds great and doesn´t lose any fidelity when you really blast it (as I did on several occasions).
Extras
There is only one special feature but it´s a good one. A 20-minute "Making of" Featurette provides a rare glimpse of a young Straub and Huillet at work on the set. Though the focus is on Straub´s interactions with Leonhardt, I found myself most interested in watching Huillet as she hovers around the set, quiet but purposeful.
The insert booklet includes a short but excellent essay by Armond White (who really does like directors not named Spielberg) as well as essays by Richard Roud, Straub and Leonhardt. Also included are a helpful timeline and a list of the songs performed in the film.
Closing Thoughts
I listed several terms to describe the films of Straub-Huillet but the most accurate of all might be "films never seen by anyone outside of film school." Straub-Huillet´s films are notoriously difficult to find and I believe (though I am not certain) that this is the first Region 1 release of one of their movies. If so, it´s an appropriate choice to serve as a jumping-on point for some of the most singular and challenging films ever created. "Chronicle" is certainly one of their most accessible films, though its simplicity is deceptive. On the off-chance you happen to live near a specialty video store that carries their films, other titles I can strongly recommend are: "Not Reconciled" (1965), "From the Clouds to the Resistance" (1979) and "Too Early, Too Late."
I am excited to see New Yorker release a Straub-Huillet film on DVD, and I hope it is the first of many to come.
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