Description
Book SynopsisIn a four-decade-long career that generated more than forty films and numerous stage productions, Werner Schroeter became one of the most important directors in Germany and Europe since the late 1960s. After making a flurry of short films in a climate of feverish artistic experimentation and political upheaval, Schroeter soon gained recognition for
Eika Katappa (1969) and
The Death of Maria Malibran (1971), early mature works showcasing avant-garde performance as iconoclastic expression of rebellion and pathos. Following a decade of uncompromising experimental work, his deeply humanist features
Il Regno di Napoli (1979) and
Palermo or Wolfsburg (1980) brought him broader success. Yet Schroeter maintained his reputation as an enfant terrible of the German cultural scene with controversial stagings of operas and plays and with smartly observed documentaries on art, film, and politics.
This volume traces Schroeter’s career as a filmmaker from early and rarely discussed works such as
Salome (1971) and
Willow Springs (1973) to his late 1970s breakout hits and later complex and mature art-house productions such as
The Rose King (1986),
Malina (1991), and
Nuit de Chien (2008). The volume is supplemented by Schroeter’s own writings and conversations and includes an interview with his long-time collaborator Elfi Mikesch as well as an authoritative and completely updated filmography.
Trade ReviewThis beautiful collection is yet another example of Grundmann’s tireless attempts at making the work of filmmakers considered “difficult” palatable to viewers brought up on the easy fare of Hollywood narrative cinema. * EuropeNow *
