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

Further reading

1. seenandheard-international
2. Eastgermancinema

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