F-0011

Title:

J.S. Bach

Category:

D

Produced:

1986

Country:

USA

Released:

1987 (1^st broadcast)

Director:

Juan Downey

Writer:

Juan Downey

Actors:

György Sándor (Piano); Elaine Comparone (Harpsichord); Thomanerchor Leipzig and Cantor; Guillermo Labarca (An Artist); Steve Meyers (Albert Schweitzer); Carol Dines (A TV Newscaster)

Description:

Singular documentary look at the life and works of the great composer by filmmaker and video artist Juan Downey, who interweaves reflections on Bach's life and works with personal statements of the impact of Bach's music on Downey's own craft. Downey uses dramatic special effects to examine the life and works of composer J.S. Bach. Shot mostly in the wintery East German towns where Bach lived and worked, this layered, impressionistic video portrait of the composer reconstructs a path through Bach's 18^th-century life and the source of his musical inspiration.
The piece is divided into three sections -- Death, Flashback, and Counterpoint. Text by Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bach biographer Albert Schweitzer is incorporated. Factual information about Bach's life is presented along with scenes from towns such as Leipzig, where he lived. An image of a man riding a horse across a snowy landscape is repeated.
This is the fourth piece in a series by Downey entitled, "The Thinking Eye." The work is dedicated to Downey's mother. It was broadcast as a segment of episode 302 (1987), and episode 101 (1991), of "New Television."

Language:

English

Bach's Music:

The music of J.S. Bach is featured throughout and is performed by Giorgy Sandor, Elaine Comparone, and the St. Thomas Church's Choir and Cantor.

Film Company:

The New Television Workshop (originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

DVD Label:

TT:

28:25

Comments:

Buy DVD at:

Source: Open Vault, WGBH
Contributor: Aryeh Oron (October 2007)