Review of Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices (1995) by Art S — 19 Mar 2011
Herzog visits madrigal composer Gesualdo's castle and asks various scholars, musicians, and local handymen to recount what they know about him. Turns out that he murdered his wife and her lover when he caught them in flagrante delicto.
It also turns out that a number of the stories about Gesualdo were simply made up by Herzog (to capture his ecstatic truth rather than the accountant's truth). Herzog continues his tradition of narrating the film in his distinctive German accent even when it means translating what the talking heads are saying rather than using subtitles.
(This is how Joaquin Phoenix knew that Herzog was rescuing him after a car accident.) If I knew more about madrigals, I might have enjoyed this film more.
This review of Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices (1995) was written by Art S on 19 Mar 2011.
Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices has generally received positive reviews.
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