Post by Capo on Jan 15, 2007 23:22:13 GMT
Heimat - Eine deutsche Chronik
Homeland: A German Chronicle
Edgar Reitz 1984 West Germany
A chronicle of a village community and the Simon family in particular, from 1912-1982.
One of those epic projects that overwhelms its viewers with its sense of detail, nostalgia and historical significance that a cult following is inevitable. Let's not overlook its primary flaws, though: some of the characters are played by different actors as the episodes progress; the narrative is very imbalanced in later episodes, too, with characters coming and going, ultimately treated in a peripheral fashion; and its frequent changes between colour and black and white seem to serve no purpose, however nice they might be. But with a fifteen hour film such flaws are perhaps inevitable, and should be accepted, especially when it at times reaches certain peaks of poignancy and warmth. If we were to judge it by the final, feature-length entry, it is a decidedly odd film, shot as if the camera is a curious alien travelling in time to re-live the past, and as a chronicle of a community and certain time(s), it is highly effective. Essential viewing? Probably.
Homeland: A German Chronicle
Edgar Reitz 1984 West Germany
A chronicle of a village community and the Simon family in particular, from 1912-1982.
One of those epic projects that overwhelms its viewers with its sense of detail, nostalgia and historical significance that a cult following is inevitable. Let's not overlook its primary flaws, though: some of the characters are played by different actors as the episodes progress; the narrative is very imbalanced in later episodes, too, with characters coming and going, ultimately treated in a peripheral fashion; and its frequent changes between colour and black and white seem to serve no purpose, however nice they might be. But with a fifteen hour film such flaws are perhaps inevitable, and should be accepted, especially when it at times reaches certain peaks of poignancy and warmth. If we were to judge it by the final, feature-length entry, it is a decidedly odd film, shot as if the camera is a curious alien travelling in time to re-live the past, and as a chronicle of a community and certain time(s), it is highly effective. Essential viewing? Probably.