News from Ideological Antiquity, is perhaps Alexander
Kluge’s most
ambitious film. Surpassing nine hours of viewing,
News is a strange total work of art, rare in our century. The idea that foments the screening of this film is, in many ways, to analyze our the status of the political in our present condition. The film will be shown in different sessions throughout the course of five weeks as to introduce a visual
experience that is complex as well as demanding from its audience. Under the heading "Critical material on Eisenstein Project", the viewers will find secondary material on the film in order to facilitate the viewing and engage in critical discussion. At first
sight one could read Kluge’s film as a reworking of Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein’s project of
filming, vis-à-vis James Joyce’s Ulysses,
into reality of the twentieth-first century. At another level, Kluge’s film,
like Godard’s Historie(s) du Cinema,
is the total culmination, not only of his work, but of modern cinema as such. Monumental
in scope, and avant-garde in its form, Kluge’s cinematic essay speaks to our
contemporary world today more than ever. It is with pleasure that that we delve
into the world of Kluge, along with this platform, in hopes that will enhance the critical
viewing experience and understanding of cinema.
Alexander Kluge's NEWS FROM IDEOLOGICAL ANTIQUITY