Straub-Huillet

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Jean-Marie Straub (born 8 January 1933 in France) and Danièle Huillet (1 May 1936 in Paris - 9 October 2006 in Cholet) were a duo of filmmakers who made two dozen films between 1963 and 2006. Their films are noted for their rigorous, intellectually stimulating style.

Though both were French, they worked mostly in Germany.

1 Biography
2 Style and Content
- 2.1 Collaboration
3 Filmography
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Jean-Marie met Danièle Huillet as a student in 1954. Straub was involved in Paris' cinephile community at the time, and was a friend of Francois Truffaut. They made their first film, an 18-minute short called Manchorka-Muff in 1963; it was based on a story by Heinrich Böll. Their next film, the 55-minute Not Reconciled, was also a Böll adaptation. They did not make a full-length feature until 1968's Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, after which they made films at a fairly even rate, completing a feature every 2-3 years. In 1968, they also made a short film starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his theatre troupe called The Bridegroom, the Actress and the Pimp. During their career, they adapted two Arnold Schoenberg operas, as well as Franz Kafka's first novel, Amerika.

Though they were never married, the two lived together for most of their lives. They had no children.

Huillet died of cancer in Cholet on October 9, 2006. Straub currently resides in Rome.

[edit] Style and Content

All of the films of Straub and Huillet are based on other works: novels, operas, plays and less conventional source materials, such as political writings. Many of their films, such as Klassenverhältnisse, stress the relationship between the original text and the film. Their movies also have a strong Marxist political overtone, with certain works.

Aesthetically, their films are often described as being "austere." They utilize long, immobile takes, often framed in an unconventional but seemingly primitive way. Key actions or objects are often not shown, leaving the audience instead to imagine them or have them described by the characters.

Straub and Huillet also make heavy use of direct sound and non-professional actors.

[edit] Collaboration

Due to his more extroverted nature, Jean-Marie Straub served as the public face of the couple. and it was therefore assumed that Huillet's role in their filmmaking process was secondary. In reality, the two split their work equally, with Straub responsible for the shooting and production, Huillet controlling most of the editing and post-production duties and the two being equally responsible for the pre-production, texts and rehearsals. This method can be seen in Pedro Costa's documentary Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?, filmed during the editing of Sicilia!, one of their last features.

[edit] Filmography

Europa 2005 - 27 octobre (2006) (TV) (uncredited)
Quei loro incontri (2006)
Une visite au Louvre (2004)
Ritorno del figlio prodigo - Umiliati, Il (2003)
Operai, contadini (2001)
Sicilia! (1999)
Von heute auf morgen (1997)
Lothringen! (1994)
Die Antigone des Sophokles nach der Hölderlinschen Übertragung für die Bühne bearbeitet von Brecht 1948 (Suhrkamp Verlag) (1992)
Paul Cézanne im Gespräch mit Joachim Gasquet (1989)
Schwarze Sünde (1989)
Tod des Empedokles, Der (1987)
Klassenverhältnisse (1984)
Trop tot, trop tard (1982)
En rachâchant (1982)
Dalla nube alla resistenza (1979)
Toute révolution est un coup de dés (1977)
Fortini/Cani (1976)
Moses und Aron (1975)
Einleitung zu Arnold Schoenbergs Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielscene (1973)
Geschichtsunterricht (1972)
Yeux ne veulent pas en tout temps se fermer, ou Peut-être qu'un jour Rome se permettra de choisir à son tour, Les (1970)
Bräutigam, die Komödiantin und der Zuhälter, Der (1968)
Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach (1968)
Nicht versöhnt oder Es hilft nur Gewalt wo Gewalt herrscht (1965)
Machorka-Muff (1963)

[edit] Further reading

Landscapes of Resistance: The German Films of Daniele Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub (1995) by Barton Byg
The Art of Seeing, the Art of Listening: The Politics of Representation in the Work of Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet (2004) by Ursula Boser