The Silence Before Bach (2007) ( Die Stille vor Bach ) ( El Silenci abans de Bach )

The Silence Before Bach (2007) (DVD) (*)

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Original Title: Die Stille vor Bach
Alternate Title: El Silenci abans de Bach
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Venice Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
102 min + 23 min extras

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Short Film

Movie filmed in 2007 and produced in:
Spain ( Spain, Portugal )

Directed By:
Pere Portabella

Written By:
Xavier Albertí
Pere Portabella

Actors:
Christian Atanasiu ..... Mayordomo
Féodor Atkine ..... Vendedor de pianos
George-Christoph Biller ..... Chomaskantor
Christian Brembeck ..... J. S. Bach
Alex Brendemühl ..... Camioner
Georgina Cardona ..... Violonchelista
Lucien Dekoster ..... Afinador de pianos
Beatriz Ferrer-Salat ..... Amazona
Gertrud Kossler ..... Clienta
Bert Kripstädt ..... Camarero
Lina Lambert ..... Madre de Mendelssohn
Daniel Ligorio ..... F. Mendelssohn
Jordi Llordella ..... Amigo de Mendelssohn
Ferran Ruiz ..... Hijo de Bach
Thomas Sauerteig ..... Amigo de la violonchelista
Franz Schuchart ..... Guía turístico
Antonio Serrano ..... Acompañante del camionero
Fanny Silvestre ..... Anna Magdalena Bach
Mariona Solanas ..... Hija de Bach
Àlvar Triay ..... Camionero del Bar
Daniela Wick ..... Descendiente de Bach
Jens Wittwer ..... Hijo mayor de Bach
Johannes Zametzer ..... Carnicero

Synopsis:

Real-life drama and documentary-style filmmaking blend with surrealistic whimsy in director Pere Portabella's passionate look at the ties between classical music and the construction of contemporary Europe. From a scene of Bach patiently teaching his son Christoph Friedrich how to play the piano to a truck driver who plays the composer's music on his harmonica, a pianist who plays the Goldberg Variations while rolling through his enormous loft, a Bach impersonator leading tourists through Leipzig, and Felix Mendelssohn's curious discovery of the St. Matthew Passion via a piece of meat wrapped in sheet music, this puckish, almost kitsch collection of skits takes a playful look at the legacy of a classical composer whose music still retains the power to inspire and influence.

Looks at the profound relationship between image and music where the latter is not merely conceived as subsidiary to the image but as a subject of the narration in its own right. It springs from a previously defined musical structure, and the soundtrack feeds on works by J.S. Bach and two of Felix Mendelssohn's sonatas; a promenade through the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries led by the hand of J.S. Bach.

Experimental film featuring a series of segments spanning various times and countries, all set to the music of Bach.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 17 March, 2014.