- Actors: Virginie Guibbaud, Manon Lepage, Lucette Labreuil, Geneviève Capy, Anne Carlier
- Directors: Peter Watkins
- Format: Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language French
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.66:1
- Number of discs: 3
- Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: First Run Features
- DVD Release Date: 24 Oct 2006
- Run Time: 345 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000GYI3JA
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 123,676 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
An incredibly radical, brave and ambitious piece of cinema by the ever-experimental Peter Watkins. True, it is a very long film at around four or so hours, and I just finished watching it in my third or fourth sitting. What can I say? The film stands as a fitting, democratic monument to those courageous citizens of Paris that rose up in the name of equality, dignity, democracy, justice and freedom only to be ruthlessly butchered by the monstrous forces of the middle classes and aristocracy who, being the greedy creatures they are, could not allow any of the aforementioned principles to exist outside of their control, lest they erode their privelages and ill-gotten gains.
In the spirit of the Commune, Watkins uses over 200 non-professional actors to devastating effect, he merges the past and present by letting them speak with their own radically subjective voices, in character and as themselves, relating the events of 1871 to France and the world in 1999, often through the medium of television interviews for a science-fictional 'CommuneTV' channel (thereby allowing a critique of the role of the press of yesterday and today). In practice, Watkins shows the audience that the Commune is alive and well within each and every person that abhors social injustice, or who feels alienated by what passes for 'society' in the western world and beyond, as well as accurately relaying the historical events.
A beautiful, terrifying and compelling piece of film-making, which deserves a wider viewing, not only for the sake of the victims of Thiers's 'Bloody Week', but also because the film is a minor masterpiece of 'living cinema'...
Vive La Commune!
In the spirit of the Commune, Watkins uses over 200 non-professional actors to devastating effect, he merges the past and present by letting them speak with their own radically subjective voices, in character and as themselves, relating the events of 1871 to France and the world in 1999, often through the medium of television interviews for a science-fictional 'CommuneTV' channel (thereby allowing a critique of the role of the press of yesterday and today). In practice, Watkins shows the audience that the Commune is alive and well within each and every person that abhors social injustice, or who feels alienated by what passes for 'society' in the western world and beyond, as well as accurately relaying the historical events.
A beautiful, terrifying and compelling piece of film-making, which deserves a wider viewing, not only for the sake of the victims of Thiers's 'Bloody Week', but also because the film is a minor masterpiece of 'living cinema'...
Vive La Commune!
3 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Slightly academic project but with good intentions. I would have liked to know that this was a theatrical idea rather than a visual film but my children found the informative historic aspect interesting.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Engrossing
1 Mar 2007
Format:DVD
This is one of the most engrossing and challenging and in the end rewarding films I have seen in a very long time. It is well worth the effort and the time to get into it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Great film, but an acquired taste
22 Jan 2009
Format:DVD
This film is fantastic. It is my all time favourite film - but it is definitely an acquired taste. It's 6hours, black and white, looks like it was filmed in someone's garage and there is lots of dialogue that you have to follow carefully. Well worth the effort!
fascinating representation of a fascinating time in history.
fascinating representation of a fascinating time in history.
12 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A College Seminar Costume Drama that needs patience
22 Feb 2007
Format:DVD
Fans of Peter Watkin's earlier films, especially his brilliantly directed THE WAR GAME, and the cleverly recreated
faux documentaries, PUNISHMENT PARK and CULLODEN need to pull in their expectations when approaching LA COMMUNE. A lot of time has passed since those earlier triumphs, and there is very little "riveting re-creations of dramatic events to be had"---everyone TALKS about dramatic events, have just participated in them, or are going to --but the recreations take place in a large warehouse-factory,and are nothing like the
exciting moments in the earlier films. And there is an awfully lot of talking and polemic--socialist mindset--that, well, educates. Many of the scenes reminds one of a college seminar with students dressed in costumes airing the issues of the times--and if that sounds exciting to you, this is your baby. For my part, I longed that some of the characters, desperaton and tragic consequences of that brief revolution would be up there on the screen (the rows of coffins famous in photographs, with poetic young intellectuals placed in them comes to mind)...but this is the least "visual" of Watkins films. And there is also lots of filler (no drama, no debate, just meandering around with the camera) which doesn't help move the ideas foward very fast. For excitement, try THE WAR GAME. For visual beauty go to EDVARD MUNCH. But if motley revolutionists expounding endlessly for a doomed cause with a few bursts of passion and exalted oratory are what you crave, get ready to be patient and by all means, embrace LA COMMUNE.
faux documentaries, PUNISHMENT PARK and CULLODEN need to pull in their expectations when approaching LA COMMUNE. A lot of time has passed since those earlier triumphs, and there is very little "riveting re-creations of dramatic events to be had"---everyone TALKS about dramatic events, have just participated in them, or are going to --but the recreations take place in a large warehouse-factory,and are nothing like the
exciting moments in the earlier films. And there is an awfully lot of talking and polemic--socialist mindset--that, well, educates. Many of the scenes reminds one of a college seminar with students dressed in costumes airing the issues of the times--and if that sounds exciting to you, this is your baby. For my part, I longed that some of the characters, desperaton and tragic consequences of that brief revolution would be up there on the screen (the rows of coffins famous in photographs, with poetic young intellectuals placed in them comes to mind)...but this is the least "visual" of Watkins films. And there is also lots of filler (no drama, no debate, just meandering around with the camera) which doesn't help move the ideas foward very fast. For excitement, try THE WAR GAME. For visual beauty go to EDVARD MUNCH. But if motley revolutionists expounding endlessly for a doomed cause with a few bursts of passion and exalted oratory are what you crave, get ready to be patient and by all means, embrace LA COMMUNE.
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