Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach

The characteristically austere style of Jean-Marie Straub, which has made him one of the 20th century's least-recognized significant filmmakers, is amply displayed in this highly formalized 1968 portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach, which presents the biography of the greatest composer of the Baroque era in a series of static black-and-white tableaux, fashioned with an almost obsessive concern for accuracy in terms of locale, costume, and furnishing. The narration, spoken with little inflection by Christiane Lang (as Bach's titular second wife), is derived from contemporary sources, including the obituary written by one of Bach's many sons, and most of the sequences are devoted primarily to excerpts from his works, played by Dutch organist-harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt (as the composer) and other early-music specialists such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Vienna Concentus Musicus and August Wenzinger's Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, all in period dress. Straub's devotion to this project, which he spent a full decade preparing and filming, is undeniable, and the result certainly offers much information on Bach (although the details of his professional difficulties remain obscure), but the emotional impact is negligible as the film remains remote and chilly. The performances of original-instrument groups, moreover, have advanced considerably in the four decades since this film was made, so that the readings here can seem awfully stodgy by contemporary standards. This is nonetheless an important example of Straub's idiosyncratic filmmaking, and while it won't appeal to the casual viewer, it will be appreciated by devotees of Bach's music. DVD extras include an archival behind-the-scenes featurette. Recommended, overall. (F. Swietek)