Friday, 17 April 2015: The Flying Dutchman
Friday, 17 April 2015, 20:00
Venue: (see Locations and Tickets for further details)
Programme category: Forest Row Film Society
Director: Joachim Herz, GDR 1964, 98 mins, U
"There is no other film quite like The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Holländer). Part opera, part experimental sound collage, and part avant-garde cinema, it is a surrealistic take on Wagner’s opera that pushed the boundaries of filmmaking at the time." Eastgermancinema
This unique East German opera production tells the well-known story of Wagner’s Dutchman who is condemned to sail across the world until his soul is released through the genuine love of a woman. Joachim Herz found a way to truly translate the opera into film by using extraordinary cinematographic techniques. A fascinating avant-garde film that refers to the expressionistic style of F.W Murnau.
"Joachim Herz’s film of The Flying Dutchman (1964), a nearly full-length production of the opera, was the first of any of Wagner’s operas to be filmed." Barbican
