Description
Book SynopsisFrom their first film in 1963, Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet distinguished themselves as two of Europe's most inventive, generous, and uncompromising filmmakers. From
Machorka-Muff (1963) through
These Encounters of Theirs (2006), and in the subsequent solo work of Jean-Marie Straub, they developed groundbreaking and unique approaches to film adaptation, performance, sound recording, cinematography, and translation in films made across Germany, Italy, and France – including such modern classics as
The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1967),
Moses and Aaron (1974),
Class Relations (1983), and
Sicilia! (1999). On the occasion of the first complete North American retrospective of their films in more than two decades, this volume traces the history of Straub's and Huillet's work, placing their films in the specific cultural, linguistic, and critical contexts in which they were produced and providing an account of their distribution and reception in the English-speaking world.
Trade ReviewFat and full of ideas and information. -- David Bordwell * Observations on Film Art *
[A] showcase of the film making practice as a true labor of love. -- Film Quarterly
Fendt's volume is an immensely useful tool for framing and enhancing the duo's notoriously austere, 'difficult' films...A comprehensive and superbly detailed filmography concludes the book, solidifying its status as a newly crucial resource for devout Straubians and casual auditors alike. -- Cinema Scope
