Geschichtsunterricht

As a material, film is subject to constant change. In archives, this change is documented in condition reports created when prints are examined. In this series, the filmmaker Juan González shares his personal moments of discovery during his work as a print checker at Arsenal.
GESCHICHTSUNTERRICHT  by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub appears very simple at first glance: a man drives through Rome and interviews four people – a farmer, a banker, and a poet. What makes it special is that the interviewer is in Rome in the 1970s, while the four people are ancient Romans talking about the affairs of Julius Caesar. No explanation is given. This is how the lesson begins. What is not shown or said is no less important than what is depicted. GESCHICHTSUNTERRICHT is thus a lesson, not about what a movie can do, but about what a movie should refrain from doing. Moreover, from a certain point of view, it is very humorous. (Juan González)