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PRESS RESPONSES - The Never Ending Wall / The Berlin Wall Trail - Jagged Harmonies (Mein Name ist Bach) - Life for Sale (Luftbusiness) Never Ending Wall and Scars (www.berlin-magazin.de)
by Frank Tetzel (September 2009) In these days a lot of literature about the Berlin Wall is published. That is a typical characteristic of commemoration days and thus of the publishing programs as such. Occasionally it is difficult to get through this tangled mass of books and to keep track of them. Nevertheless, one of those books that have recently appeared I noticed quite positively, because it is different from the usual commemorative literature. It is called "The Never Ending Wall" and is a photo book about the Berlin Wall Trail.
During the winter months of 2006 and 2007, the Swiss filmmaker Dominique de Rivaz, living in Berlin, walked along the former ring of the Berlin Wall and photographed places of its initial course, both in the city of Berlin and in neighboring Brandenburg. What is noticeable when looking at the book: While in the middle of the city the scars of the erstwhile wall course seem to be healed and are almost invisible more or less in theouter boroughs it is different.
I do not know if I should call the photographs of the Swiss filmmaker poetic. They are indeed when it comes to the icy winter landscapes of the suburbs, for example in Sacrow. Especially when the photographer captures the play of light and shadow of the winter sun. On the other hand, the photos are relentless. With the lens Rivaz captures the scars that the wall has left behind in the landscape as well as - widely known – in the minds of the people.
"The Never Ending Wall" is a book to be looked at not only once but several times. It is poetic, relentless and authentic. Rivaz thus takes a stand. It shows fragments that make up a whole.
"The Never Ending Wall" is a walk along the 155 kilometers long former city wall captured in pictures- an invitation to follow this trail with open eyes, and to be inspired by the special atmosphere of these places.
well worth seeing +++
With her film Jagged Harmonies Dominique de Rivaz has transformed the costume drama from a long forgotten into a contemporary art form. Bach and Frederick remain artistic figures who are struggling every second around their own truthfulness. Almost wordlessly, they diverge again and leave behind that empty space in history the film tries to fill. One has not the slightest desire to doubt that their meeting had taken place just as described and not a bit different. A notable cinematic revolution.
Katja Nikodemus, Die Zeit __________________ Jagged Harmonies varies a historical theme contrapuntally and with fine irony: the encounter of two German giants in the year of 1747 in Potsdam, where the 62-year-old Johann Sebastian Bach (Vadim Glowna), gradually going blind, and a 33-year-old contradictory Frederick the Great ( Jürgen Vogel) quarrel with each other for a week before they learn to appreciate one another.
Der Spiegel __________________ A musical thriller.
Sonntagszeitung __________________ A beautiful, very moving, excellently researched film.
Neue Zürcher Zeitung __________________ A stimulating and enjoyable cultural-historical film.
St. Galler Tagblatt __________________ In her debut film the Swiss director Dominique de Rivaz has reclaimed this virtuosic struggle between two prima donnas distinctively and stylistically assured. The technically brilliant work really deserved the Swiss Film Award 2004.
Der Blick __________________ Jagged Harmonies is cinema at its most exquisite. And rightly so the first (!) feature film of the cosmopolitan Dominique de Rivaz was awarded the Swiss Film Award: Her work meets the highest standards.
Zürichsee-Zeitung __________________ De Rivaz' award-winning film already fascinates at the first glance, but it deserves a closer look: a stimulating and enjoyable cultural-historical film.
St. Galler Tagblatt __________________ …Quite apart from the fact that the term "costume drama" for Jagged Harmonies is hardly correct. It is a play with sounds and instruments, with words and music, with power and genius, and finally also with baroque costumes and - this is probably the most charming and riskiest - with facts and fiction, imagination and invention.
Der Bund __________________ This film is not intended for scientists, but for all of those people who are open to a narrative, and even sometimes a storytelling which sees behind the curtain.
Fred Zaugg __________________ A modern drama. An intimate play. A musical film. A father-son-relationship. With Vadim Glowna and Juergen Vogel, Dominique de Rivaz has found two of the best representatives of their generations of German actors, which characterizes the film very much.
Berner Zeitung
Swiss Film Award Quartz 2009 - Best Actor
Dominique Jann in Life for Sale by Dominique de Rivaz
Life for sale by Dominique de Rivaz is a wondrous contemporary parable about the survival of three outsiders selling their blood, their sperm, and finally themselves on the internet.
Jean-Louis Kuffer, 24 Heures __________________
Life for sale is about the conflict between economics and ethics.
Basler Zeitung __________________
Life for sale is a cinematic fairytale coupled with a healthy portion of criticism on a mercilessly unleashed capitalism.
WOZ __________________
It is about the importance of the soul, the value of humanity and the total economization of life. Life for sale by de Rivaz is a loving and certainly one of Switzerland's most original films of the recent years.
Markus Mathis __________________
The economic crisis had arrived in the cinema even before the public got wind of it. We saw the impressive film Life for sale in Locarno, where it got much applause by the audience. Then, in August, the economic crisis was not yet to become a topic of conversation. Meanwhile, six months later, the world is on the brink of disaster, and even the title of the film – Life for sale - got an almost universal significance. And thus the film by Dominique de Rivaz is likely to be the very first film made about the current economic crisis.
Jean-Pierre Thilges, REVUE (Luxemburg) __________________
Sometimes at festivals one is surprised where it is least expected. Tucked away in the category "Here and Elsewhere" the new film Life for sale by Dominique de Rivaz was shown. It would have also performed well in the competition. Life for sale is a lovingly and carefully made film, a very light and airy staged film about a very serious issue. It is full of music and songs (The Tiger Lillies) and brimming with imaginative, beautiful, transparent settings through glass, supported by great actors (Tòmas Lemarquis, Dominique Jann, Joel Basman).
Michael Sennhauser, Radio DRS __________________
The selection committee of the international competition at the Locarno Film Festival has backed the wrong horse: the best Swiss film for years, Life for sale by Dominique de Rivaz, has not been taken into account. Negligently and carelessly an opportunity to present oneself internationally with an outstanding film was wasted.
Rolf Breiner __________________
The world of the homeless and losers, in which the story is set up, is not glossed over, yet it becomes clear that the real misery only starts when people lose their innermost feelings. Between pharmaceutical trials and sale of sperm one wonders where the business stops and the self-betrayal starts. Life for sale gives no definite answer, but it is a clear plea for humanity.
Surprise __________________
The film is more relevant than ever: In times of Facebook and Second Life more and more internet users are blurring the boundaries between real life and virtual reality. Dominique de Rivaz has created a poetic, thoughtful and yet joyous feature film.
Freiburger Nachrichten
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