The Cold Dialectic: Brecht on British Television
Wednesday July 22nd - 7:30PM
Brecht Forum
451 West Street, New York, NY 10014
The dramaturgy and political theory of Bertolt Brecht has for decades been co-opted in theater, cinema, television, and advertising. To label a work or method as "Brechtian" now has little to no revolutionary meaning; the term having become a cliche of bourgeois academics and other cultural historians and commentators.
Pair this with the half-century old tradition of broadcasting "live" transmissions of videotaped theater on educational television; safe cultural programs which more often than not fail as theater, television, and cinema; referencing many media and traditions, but mastering none. We are left with a suspicious and critical lens, and unsteady foundation, in which to view these two performances of Brecht's work on British TV: The former, a rare treat to see Lotte Lenya sing live her deceased husband's music (and an early effort of well-known director Ken Russell). The latter, starring David Bowie as the titular character, is a rare staging of Brecht's first full-length play (again by a known British director). To what extent do these programs succeed, or fail, in honoring the intentions of Brecht's work and ideas?
--Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill - Ken Russell, 1961, 17 minutes
--Baal - Alan Clarke, 1982, 64 minutes
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 81 minutes | Digital Projection