Review of Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968) by Walter M — 20 Apr 2012

In trying to learn about great artists of the past, the one thing we should be concentrating on is whatever creative projects survive to the present day, and worry less about what made them great. Along these same lines, this film takes a modestly revolutionary step by putting the truly wonderful music of Johann Sebastian Bach(Gustav Leonhardt) front of center, as explained in the making-of documentary.

Framing the sublime sounds is the life of the composer as narrated by Anna Magdalena(Christiane Lang), Johann's second wife, filling in the gaps of their personal struggles and his career, with minimal extrapolation.

One particular episode stands out with Johann's tutorial explaining not only a particular musical instrumment but also the sounds of the era.