Page 99 - Studio International - November December 1975

has proven in this film (as illusionistic as it may be) to be The structuring of the film programmes was excellent;
¾ solid, totally competent, strong-headed film director. No everything was done to make relations between film,
other film director of interest has emerged within reach seminar, film, clear. The seminars were given by people
of her sensibility, which in this case includes to no small mostly interested in (or captured by) literary analysis, so
degree the management of ¾ 15 woman-and-man crew, much of the specific talk on specific films was ¾ sign of
which is to say this is ¾ film produced under film- the immense difficulties that the Screen editors have
industrial conditions and brought to fruition. In that when dealing with the filmic, and the politics of that. But
sense, Chantal Ackerman is the first interesting film the audience, the co-operators in the seminars, were
director in recent years. She is not within the avant-garde people who didn't just blithely listen, and thus I think the
tradition ; it is ¾ misreading to assume that the pure seminars were of some use. In any case, literarily inclined
formalist perfection of the consistent non-diagonals, 'or not, it was not the unthought attitude that is dominant
those constant frontal shots, focus 'often located about .1 in critical work on film, and historical contextualizing of
from the lens, 3 from deep space's end') is in some way such.
breaking with traditional narrative concerns. But within Michael Snow showed his four and ¾ half hour
the tradition of the narrative, within the tradition of the Rameau's Nephew, and two films by Yvonne Rainer were
storyline film, within the tradition of formal elaboration of screened. Snow seems to be somewhat confused lately
those characterological ends (the style bolstering the (I refer to his films), but for someone with Wavelength,
psychological 'meanings' spun out by the filmscript), Back and Forth and Central Region in their past, ¾ five
Ackerman is ¾ perfectionist. She has, it seems to me, hour lapse needn't be seen as definitive. Why Yvonne
made ¾ film totally adequate to her aims ; it is, in that Rainer's films were shown at all I haven't been able to
sense, ¾ totally realized film, and that is why she is, as so fathom. No doubt the push Artforum gave her is to blame
few are, ¾ good director. The mundaneness of the story (two specially long articles, one cover).
needn't be broached here in depth. Suffice to say that it I have said, so far, nothing about the second week. I
is about ¾ woman in the home, doing rituals, minutely wasn't there. The first week ended with Berwick Street
observed, never ¾ moment of tedium in the watching Collective showing their Night Cleaners. I missed the
though many in the doing ; housework is exposed for the last seminar, which dealt with it.
first hour, for the rigorous and vigorous labour that it is, Middle of the first week an evening with Jean Marie
and the time consumption that each act takes is Straub and Danielle Huillet, ¾ two and ¾ half hour public
specifically asserted, in spite of the cutting (the question/answer time, which was solid. People asked
observance is anything but Warholian). Delphine Seyrig, questions after having seen the works, the answers were
being ¾ superb actress, makes the film. As does Babette long and precise : mainly by Jean Marie Straub about
Mangoldte, who is a superb camerawoman (and lighting- the background, history, difficulties in making the films,
camerawoman as well ; sets lit like this have not been seen expositions of the precise technical work on Moses and
for three decades in Hollywood, they just don't have the Aaron (Huillet), the production of the sound ; the
training, it seems). The film though is not ¾ rigorous (albeit relationship between Kandinsky at the Bauhaus and
illusionistic) analysis of the labour of the housewife under Schönberg, and the question of antisemitism in their
capitalism ; it is not ¾ description of causal relations ; it is relations ; the reasons for black leader in the Schonberg
not ¾ presentation of psycho/social/etc interactions of film ; why ¾ cat played an important part; car trip
frustration. What it is, unfortunately, is ¾ look at the through Rome, elaborately choreographed for History
symptoms, ¾ condescension, the traditional (at best) Lesson, how, why, the function in terms of history, in
liberal look at anality ('magically produced') in the woman terms of Rome, in terms of politics ; the dedication to one
at home. In that sense, (and that is the base, and the main of the Baader-Meinhof group, the troubles with German
interest of the film,) Jeanne Dielman is ¾ profoundly TV ; the troubles with Brecht's son (¾ publisher) ; the
reactionary film. (Certain readings would help : Jean concepts (Hegelian and other )in Moses and Aaron ;
Gardiner, 'Women's Domestic Labour'. New Left Review discourse on monotheism ; who are your favourite
86 ; The Power of Women and the Subversion of the film-makers, etc. The 2½ hours were valuable, filled, and
Community, Selma James and Mariarosa Dalla Costa ; free from trivia. Stephen Heath did the (virtually
the extremely important The Main Enemy, by Christine simultaneous) translating into English, quickly,
Aubry (the two latter from Feminist Books, P.O. Box HP precisely (by all accounts). Dannielle Huillet got into
51, Leeds, or Red Books, 97 Caledonian Road, London, speaking (reluctantly) mainly about exact technical
N1) ; and 'The Housewife and Her Labour Under details ; Jean Marie Straub spoke most of the time. They
Capitalism'. Wally Secombe, NLR 83). seem to work together in some rough 50/50 way, but it
There were Brecht seminars every morning of the first wasn't easy to discern the parameters, or where the lines
week : films were programmed to connect to the following are drawn and by whom. Half of the discussion is
day's seminar. Thus one could re-see Godard's Two or appearing in Journal of the Royal College of Art, Jan.
Three Things I Know About Her (in super wide screen), 1976.
and the Godard/Gorin misfortune (95% Gorin, 5% Robbe-Grillet didn't show up. But no one was
Godard, according to JLG) Tout Va Bien ; Lang's interested anyway, and the films of his shown were too
hilariously silly B-picture Hangmen Also Die (scenario dreadful to consider. I couldn't find anyone who
by Brecht), and the Pabst Threepenny Opera. The managed to justify his latest adolescent Playboy sex-
seminars on Brecht, given by members of Screen fantasies, in all their prurience and soft core
magazine, were attended by ¾ solid group of about 60 sweetness, though virtually everyone recognizably
diehards, who listened well, came on time at 9.30 each interested in film in London was at Edinburgh.
morning, and proved that there need not be the general
festival ambience of 24-hour drunkenness. The pleasure
involved in going to ¾ two-hour seminar, then sitting
around another hour over free coffee and rolls (with Space Open Studios
butter !), then moseying back to film house and lunch
before the afternoon shows, was ¾ rare one. During all this 13 London Studio Shows
one noticed that the natives of Edinburgh are the 22 September-12 October
friendliest people anywhere, and that (any myths about
the Scots to the contrary) even bus drivers on public
transport who god knows have no reason to be nice to Reviewed by Stephen Carter
anyone, let alone tourists with American accents, were
utterly friendly. It ain't no Cannes or Berlin or New York. If there can be little doubt about the need for an
Thankfully. organization like Space, neither can there be much doubt
There desperately needs to be an area for eating/ about the value, at least to the artist, of showing work
drinking, such as press and film-makers had, for the publicly from time to time. The fact that little of the work
public, who are forced to wander aimlessly (and often deserved serious attention is only to be expected and in no
alone) between screenings (except at the seminar way reflects badly on Space or the notion of mounting
place). Interaction with the public is ¾ necessity. this ambitious series of studio openings. There were no
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