Audience Member
Handbook of contemporary media games, must see, although it 5 hours long, but it is anniversary of 150 years since Commune.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
As a concept it is daring, inventive and exhilarating, but as an actual film it was monotonous.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
La Commune is a brilliant mix of film, documentary, re-enactment, comparison of history to current events and a testament to the endless struggle of humanity against the consolidation and abuse of power by a small minority of exploiters. Numerous concepts about media, power, politics, exploitation, personal responsibility, governance, socialism, autocracy and more are explored. There is so much said in this film that one could watch it over and over and get more out of it each time. I highly recommend it to anyone who cares about democracy, freedom, society, and reality.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
walter m
[font=Century Gothic]The Franco-Prussian War ends disastrously for the French in 1871 with a months long siege and the surrender of Alsace-Lorraine to Prussia. After the war, the city of Paris is still in rough shape with little food to go around. Some men join the National Guard for meager pay. When the provisional government tries to reclaim the guard's cannon, the citizens fearing a restoration of the monarchy, successfully rebuff them. In response, the government flees to Versailles(ironically the ancestral home of the monarchy) and a commune is established in Paris with elections on the way...[/font]
[font=Century Gothic]"La Commune" is a deliberately anachronistic telling of the short history of the 1871 Paris Commune by focusing on the 11th district, connecting those events to the present day.(The characters act on behalf of their children and the future, seeking to make a better world for them.) Throughout, two reporters for Commune TV - Blanche Capellier(Aurelia Petit) and Gerard Bourlet(Gerard Watkins) - interview various citizens of the commune.(This is contrasted with the official broadcast coming from Versailles which consists of a sole anchor, accompanied by the occasional expert.) Through this technique, director Peter Watkins shows that he has broader aims than just a simple history lesson. He is also concerned with how the media delivers information(at the same time, he is also critical of some of the Commune's news and actions). [/font]
[font=Century Gothic]The movie is a truly collaborative effort. Watkins takes a method he used previously with his film "Edward Munch" where he interviewed characters and expands on it by also occasionally talking to the actors themselves to get their opinion on the film. In the end, Watkins argues for a more participatory democracy. [/font]
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
ummm what can i possibly say - watkins is a gift. this film is almost 6 hours long - and a real chore to watch but if you get all the way through it, i can promise you, YOU WILL A BETTER PERSON FOR IT. not unlike those prolific works that everyone tells you you must see to be a the real deal, in the know, and super hip and likely very tragically bored/boring - la commune is a real investment, but also a paramount. right now - this film is of particular importance. don't be swayed by stylistic choices that challenge your willing suspension of disbeleif - we all know there was no tv or mass media in 1871 - but the point is too valuable to miss.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
With all due respect (i.e. none) to Woodrow Wilson and D.W. Griffith, THIS is history writ with lightning.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
Full Review
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