The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach

press release:

West Germany, Italy | 1967 | DCP | 93 min.

Director: Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet

Cast: Gustav Leonhardt, Christiane Lang-Drewanz, Paolo Carlini

Straub-Huillet’s first feature length film unfolds primarily as a series of live performances with musicians in period costumes playing in the actual locations where these pieces would have been performed. This one-of-a-kind portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach and his wife transports viewers to 18th century Germany with an austere formalism that is somehow also magically immersive. A must-see for lovers of Bach and film.

Not Reconciled: The Films of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet

Icons of avant-garde cinema, the husband-wife team of Jean-Marie Straub and the late Danièle Huillet provided film history with one of its most intimate collaborative relationships. Beginning in 1954 and ending with Huillet’s death in 2006, Straub-Huillet worked closely together on every aspect of every project starting with a conceptual stage and carrying through to the final editing process. Together, they produced a body of work that includes several adaptations and re-thinkings of classical texts. This sampling of Straub-Huillet features seven of the duo’s best known features and shorts presented in original 35mm prints and new DCP restorations overseen by Jean-Marie Straub.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.