Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars
Newly Added
•
1h 33m
Directed by Howard Brookner • 1987 • United States
One of the great unrealized theatrical productions of the twentieth century, “the CIVIL warS” would have been the magnum opus of legendary avant-garde director Robert Wilson: a twelve-hour historical opera in six distinct parts, each rehearsed in a different country (Germany, France, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.S.) for a holistic performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Over the course of the project’s ill-fated conception, documentary director Howard Brookner follows Wilson, composers Philip Glass and David Byrne, and several production troupes as they seek to perfect an epic that encompasses the American Civil War, the life and death of Frederick the Great, and the unification of Italy, along with imagery from Frank L. Baum, Jules Verne, and Mathew Brady. Struggling to procure timely funding and constantly negotiating with striking Italian theater unions, Wilson nonetheless proves himself a force of nature, determined to follow through on his outsize dream of a Gesamtkunstwerk that brilliantly fuses art and life.
Up Next in Newly Added
-
Head
Directed by Bob Rafelson • 1968 • United States
Starring Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Micky DolenzHey, hey, it’s the Monkees . . . being catapulted through one of American cinema’s most surreal sixties odysseys. The brainchild of Bob Rafelson, making his directorial debut; his producing partner and ...
-
Flesh for Frankenstein
Directed by Paul Morrissey • 1973 • United States
Starring Joe Dallesandro, Monique Van Vooren, Udo KierUnderground maverick and Andy Warhol collaborator Paul Morrissey (CHELSEA GIRLS) reimagines Mary Shelley’s modern myth, infusing it with satiric wit and sexuality in this outré, baroquely sty...
-
Days and Nights in the Forest
Directed by Satyajit Ray • 1970 • India
Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Samit BhanjaOne of director Satyajit Ray’s greatest achievements begins with the deceptively easy grace of a buddy comedy—only to give way to darker moral shading. Seeking a weekend escape from the city, ...
