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In the slow-moving documentary Jan Klusák – Axis Temporum, Klusák, a contemporary Czech composer, spends a lot of time showing us photos from his many albums and reminiscing about his childhood, up until 1938 when his father was sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp and then to Auschwitz. Why Klusák and his mother were spared this fate is not revealed. Klusák goes on to talk about his work as an actor and his decision to concentrate on composing, even though his mother always wanted him to get an “honest job.” If the point of this movie is to tell the story of Klusák’s life, then why the unsatisfying gaps in the chronology, and if the point of the movie is to acquaint us with this man’s music, why do we only get brief explanations of the mathematical and/or astrological framework that he employs? Klusák comes across as a complacent, self-satisfied man who does not wish to reveal much about himself—not the best subject for a documentary.
Fri, Oct 9th 2:45pm / Sun, Oct 11th 8:45pm / Empire Granville 7 Th 5
On the same bill is Argippo Resurrected, a film about Czech conductor Ondrej Macek, who discovered a lost Vivaldi opera and decided to remount it in a reconstructed baroque theatre in Český Krumlov. Picture a pit full of musicians in white wigs and red uniforms and ornate sets that include wooden waves that are moved across the stage (and up and down) by men dressed in period costumes even though they are never seen by the audience. Every effort is made for authenticity. The theatre is a feast for the eyes, with its warm colours and excessive decoration, the music is beautiful, but the movie lacks the humour—perhaps it was lost in translation—that is usually evident when a group of people care passionately about something that they know most of the rest of the world couldn't give a hoot about.
Fri, Oct 9th 2:45pm / Sun, Oct 11th 8:45pm / Empire Granville 7 Th 5
