The Farewell
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C Film: B
In film studies and intellectualizing in general, many
know-it-alls love to talk about something being Brechtian as a
pseudo-sophisticated substitute for taking something apart or thinking they are
above using works like deconstructive.
The irony is that they know little about Bertolt Brecht and have likely
encountered little of his work. When
watching Jan Schutte’s impressive The Farewell (2000), a film about
Brecht’s final years, a man who was not some pretentious idiot who could just
see through things but was a full-fledged genius.
The film remembers this and much more in showing us the
complex man he was, with his politics, three women lovers, concerns about the
future, understanding how the past and history affect the future and dealing
with the East German police who were becoming more concerned about him for
their own reasons. The press material
included for this DVD shows the FBI had their concerns too for different
reasons, showing how outcast this man was.
Josef Bierbicher leads a terrific cast playing Brecht as a man still
ready to take on the world and well aware of its pros and cons.
The film takes place in 1956 as summer is winding down in
Germany. Brecht wants to go back to
Berlin for the fall theater season, but everything about everyone in his life
is about to come roaring out in reveling and sometimes uncomfortable moments of
truth even he did not count on. This is
an amazing film in that for such a low budget, it is realistic, fully realized
and dense in feel and detail. You
believe you are seeing the actual people and Klaus Pohl’s screenplay leaves no
stone unturned. The Farewell is
a pleasant surprise very much recommended.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is on the dark
side and has some detail limits, but the cinematography by Edward Klosinski is
memorable and impressive. The darkness
that hangs over this late summer is effective in enhancing the narrative in a
way that makes the film stand out further.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has some healthy Pro Logic surrounds and
was originally a Dolby analog SR release, sounding that good often. Extras include the original trailer, text
bios on all the real-life people and a stills gallery. Be sure to catch this one.
- Nicholas Sheffo
