La Commune: Paris, 1871

None of Peter Watkins' films can be easily categorized, and this six-hour magnum opus is certainly no exception. Ostensibly it's an attempt to dramatize, in quasi-documentary fashion, the sad history of the socialist community that the citizens of Paris established in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian war--a short-lived populist regime that was brutally crushed by the army of the new president, Adolphe Thiers. But the recreation, done on a small scale using simple warehouse sets, mixes past and present by inserting anachronistic 19th century television journalists into the action to report on events, while also using the ostensible subject matter as a springboard for angry denunciations of modern economic globalization, media complicity, and the exploitation of the poor. Along the way, the actors frequently set aside their characterizations to express their own opinions on past events and contemporary sociopolitical issues, while the film's episodes are linked by great reams of onscreen written background data that likewise lapse into polemic about the current world situation. La Commune is thus as much strident ideological argument as historical recreation, and it deliberately blurs the line between the two; unfortunately, the repetitive speechmaking and reliance on scrolled text to cover major events give it a static, theatrical feel that most viewers will find exhausting. Still, the film does provoke a certain curious fascination--though it may be a folly of sorts, as with most such cinematic extravagances, you have to admire its overweening ambition, if not necessarily the execution. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)[DVD Review—Oct. 17, 2006—First Run Features, 3 discs, 345 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, $39.95—Making its first appearance on DVD, 2000's La Commune (Paris, 1871) (Three Disc Collector's Edition) boasts a good transfer. DVD extras include the 76-minute “making-of” documentary “The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins,” a text bio of filmmaker Watkins, a discussion guide, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a demanding film.]