A work in constant progress (and occasional regress).
Release Date:
November 30, 1979
Original Title:
Geschichte der Nacht
Genres:
Documentary
Production Companies:
INA
Ombra-Film
SRF
ZDF
Production Countries:
France | Germany | Switzerland
Ratings / Certifications:
CH: 12
Runtime: 61
It’s a black-and-white record of European cities in the dark (2-5am), from Basle to Belfast. Quiet, and meditative, what emerges most strongly is an eerie sense of city landscapes as deserted film sets, in which the desolate architecture overwhelms any sense of reality. The only reassurance that we are not in some endless machine-Metropolis is the shadow of daytime activity: a juggernaut plunging through a darkened village, a plague of small birds in the predawn light. The whole thing is underscored by a beautiful ‘composed’ soundtrack, from quietly humming streetlights to reggae and the rumble of armoured cars in Belfast. A strange and remarkable combination of dream, documentary and science-fiction.
Cinematography:
Clemens Klopfenstein
Director:
Clemens Klopfenstein
Editor:
Hugo Sigrist
Clemens Klopfenstein
Serena Kiefer
Production Manager:
Verena Brunner
Clemens Klopfenstein
Sound:
Verena Brunner
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