Moses und Aron

press release:

Austria, West Germany | 1974 | DCP | 105 min. | German with English subtitles

Director: Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet

Cast: Günter Reich, Louis Devos, Eva Csapo

Straub-Huillet filmed Arnold Schoenberg’s unfinished opera in an ancient Roman amphitheater. In addition to a mesmerizing musical production, the filmmakers offer rigorous consideration and questioning of Biblical and archeological history, particularly with respect to the collective memory—passed down and transcribed over hundreds of years, however inaccurately—of the Egyptian enslavement of the Hebrews and the Exodus. The feature will be preceded by Machorka-Muff (1962, 35mm, 18 min.), a surreal adaptation of a Heinrich Böll story set in postwar Germany.

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.