The starting point for Dusan Makavejev's controversial and explicit "WR - Mysteries of the Organism" (1971), is Wilhelm Reich, the Marxist psychoanalyst who preached sexual enlightenment as a gateway to a better society. Reich is a "intellectual maverick" and "sexual pioneer", and theorist of "Orgone energy" and "world revolution". Loosely inspired by Reich's "The Function of the Orgasm" WR stages an encounter between psychotherapy and Marxism, sexual permissiveness and socialism. Juxtaposing hippie America and cold war Yugoslavia, it is a film of ideas and sensations which speaks to the contemporary world. It was banned in Yugoslavia, under pressure from Moscow, as politically offensive. This book explores the film and how its spectators interact with it.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
WR Mysteries of the Organism tackles crucial, and perennial, problems, in culture sexuality and politics. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
WR Mysteries of the Organism tackles crucial, and perennial, problems, in culture sexuality and politics. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
WR-Mysteries of the Organism is one of the most interesting, most fun, most profound movies ever made. It changed my life, leading me into cinema therapy.My first MA thesis in library science was partially about this film.Luckily for me, it is briefly discussed in my favorite book, Film As a Subversive Art, by Amos Vogel. (A still from it is one the cover.) Raymond Durgnat is one of the great film scholars in the world - and has done a fine job probing this most interesting of all films. To me, it is the "Citizen Kane of the post 60s world".
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I have waited for more than 20 years for this book!
29 Jun 1999
By Stephen Fesenmaier
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
WR-Mysteries of the Organism is one of the most interesting, most fun, most profound movies ever made. It changed my life, leading me into cinema therapy.My first MA thesis in library science was partially about this film.Luckily for me, it is briefly discussed in my favorite book, Film As a Subversive Art, by Amos Vogel. (A still from it is one the cover.) Raymond Durgnat is one of the great film scholars in the world - and has done a fine job probing this most interesting of all films. To me, it is the "Citizen Kane of the post 60s world".
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing analysis of an amazing film
5 July 2006
By Steward Willons
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Raymond Durgnat has done an amazing job of sorting through this Dusan Makavejev's postmodern collage. I first learned about "WR: Mysteries of the Organism" from my Yugoslavian film professor who cued me into some of the many subtleties. This film is so incredibly full of meaning, most of which is lost on American (and probably most non-Eastern European) audiences. Since not everyone can have the luxury of a native Yugoslavian film professor to guide them through the film's dense layering of signification, this book is essential to a complete understanding of WR.
Durgnat presents a very well researched guide in a clear, understandable manner. I wish he had turned this guide into a book-length study because I'm sure he had more valuable insights than fit in this book's 96 pages. My only complaint is in the organization. Unless one is very familiar with the film, it's not always clear which section is under discussion. Since the film itself is presented in such a fractured style, it is understandably difficult to analyze the film in any sort of linear fashion without robbing it of a sense of coherence and unity. As it stands, it would be fairly difficult to watch the film while reading along. I don't feel that this one fault necessarily diminishes its usefulness though. The text is well written and is constantly interesting. If you're interested in WR, Durgnat's study is essential reading.
Durgnat presents a very well researched guide in a clear, understandable manner. I wish he had turned this guide into a book-length study because I'm sure he had more valuable insights than fit in this book's 96 pages. My only complaint is in the organization. Unless one is very familiar with the film, it's not always clear which section is under discussion. Since the film itself is presented in such a fractured style, it is understandably difficult to analyze the film in any sort of linear fashion without robbing it of a sense of coherence and unity. As it stands, it would be fairly difficult to watch the film while reading along. I don't feel that this one fault necessarily diminishes its usefulness though. The text is well written and is constantly interesting. If you're interested in WR, Durgnat's study is essential reading.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
