There's a tradition of European directors making concert films featuring experimental or avant-garde performers. With Music and Voice, French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello (Nocturama, Zombi Child) joins a lineage that includes Portugal's Pedro Costa, who made a film featuring Jeanne Balibar (most recently of HBO's Irma Vep), and England’s Peter Strickland, who codirected a film about Björk's Biophilia tour. As with Bonello, these directors are more closely associated with narrative features than the documentary or non-fiction form.
Along with her countrywoman Marlene Dietrich, German actress and singer Ingrid Caven (Love Is Colder Than Death), who was briefly married to Rainer Werner Fassbinder, works in the cabaret style. For this 2012 concert at Paris's La Cité de la Musique, she performs with pianist Jay Gottlieb, drummer Alain Beghin, and percussionist Sergio Amaroli (Beghin barely makes his presence felt, while Amaroli only appears briefly). In terms of her elegant appearance, she recalls Jessica Lange with her face-framing blonde hair and angular face, though Caven, born in 1938, is 10 years older than the American actress.
Clad in a sheer black dress with ruffles tumbling down the front, she sings in French, German, and English in an expressive, theatrical manner. Of the 24 songs, two were co-written by Fassbinder and two by Kurt Weill. One of the few English-language songs, "Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves," comes from Fassbinder’s final film, 1982's Querelle, a rare English-language effort. She also sings "Wiegenlied" with its instantly recognizable "lullaby and good night" refrain. Unfortunately, this film, which has also appeared on streaming services, like the Criterion Channel, does not come with subtitles.
As Caven sings, the intensity of the spotlight varies, though the stage always remains dark (Josée Deshaies served as cinematographer). At its darkest, the proceedings take on a David Lynch cast, as if Caven had materialized in the midst of a dream. Things take a more experimental turn when she leaves language behind to play with vocal sounds in a manner that recalls Yoko Ono or Diamanda Galas. Though she wanders the stage freely for most songs, she refers to sheet music for a few others. If Deshaies never trains her lens on the audience, their enthusiastic applause adds to the reverential tone.
Though Bonello's films, especially House of Tolerance, can verge on the baroque, with their exquisite costume design and intricately-detailed sets, he keeps things simple here. Notably, Caven considered Yves Saint Laurent a friend, and Bonello made a 2014 biopic about the late fashion designer. This may help to explain his attraction to her work, though he claims a performance he attended convinced him to reach out to her about a collaboration.
If Craven doesn't have the strongest or smoothest voice, she's a consummate performer. Though she looks stern and possibly even a little nervous at the outset, she loosens up as the show goes along, to the point where she's clearly having a ball. And that goes for the audience, too, since they don't seem to want to stop clapping as she exits the stage. Recommended for German cinema, music documentary, and concert film collections.
What kind of film series would this documentary fit in?
Ingrid Caven: Music and Voice would fit in film series centered on live musical performances.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
Professors of musicology and German cinema may find this concert film of interest.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Ingrid Caven: Music and Voice would provide a fine addition to vocal music collections in public libraries.