Review of Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968) by Davey M — 30 Oct 2008

In its own way, this is one of the greatest concert films ever made--an historical recreation of sorts of many of the most perfect pieces of music being played in front of a camera, with hardly any cuts in the performances, interspersed with occasional narration from Anna Magdalena Bach, wife of J.

S. Seeing the performers (in beautifully composed frames) playing on the instruments heightens the experience in the same way it does when watching a live performer--the coordination between what the performer does and the sounds that come out help us to hear more nuances and appreciate the music even more.

Eventually, the focus shifts (visually and, if one can use the word for this movie, narratively) from the technical, instrumental performance to the spiritual state of the composer and performer, just as Bach shifted from technical exercises to spiritual majesty--the first and last thirds, as a result, are particularly compelling (the opening and final shots are crazily moving for such a seemingly detached film).