notes (eng) - film press plus

a film by Corinna Belz
PETER HANDKE
In the woods,
might be late
SYNOPSIS
Filmmaker Corinna Belz explores the enigma that is Peter Handke:
from the portrait of a young man of the Austrian countryside who
wrote his way onto the literary center stage, to his current life at
home in the Paris suburbs. For more than five decades, this shy yet often
provocative man has devoted himself to writing: prose, essays, novels,
plays, screenplays, translations. The rhythm and precision of his
language, the long, pulsating sentences, the invention and examination
of reality – all elements behind this unmistakable voice in modern
literature. At home, Peter Handke shares his passion for mushrooms,
needlepoint and pensive walks in his wooded surroundings. Encounters
include intense conversations, a huge cache of personal Polaroids from
the 70s, and a cosmos of handwritten notebooks...
PETER HANDKE
& CINEMA
Peter Handke wrote and directed four films: THE ABSENCE (1992),
(DAS MAL DES TODES, 1985), THE LEFT-HANDED WOMAN (DIE LINKS­
HÄN­D IGE FRAU, 1978) and CHRONICLE OF ON-GOING EVENTS
(CHRONIK DER LAUFENDEN EREIGNISSE, 1971).
Handke collaborated with Wim Wenders on a film version of his novel
THE GOALIE’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (1972), and he wrote the
screenplays for Wenders’ WINGS OF DESIRE (DER HIMMEL UBER
BERLIN, 1987) and WRONG MOVE (FALSCHE BEWEGUNG, 1975). The
unique Wenders-Handke collaboration began with the 1969 short 3
AMERICAN LPS (DREI AMERIKANISCHE LP’S) and continues in 2016
with the upcoming THE BEAUTIFUL DAYS OF ARANJUEZ.
COMMENTS FROM
FILMMAKER CORINNA BELZ
PORTRAYING A WRITER
THE RIGHT MEDIUM
After the film portrait of Gerhard Richter I wanted to portray a significant
writer. For me, a film of this kind is always an examination of the art form
in question as a whole, and I felt that Peter Handke, whose work I have
long admired, and who has continuously broken new ground in the use of
language, would be a fascinating protagonist. Not only because of his
oeuvre, but because of his uncompromising individuality and independence.
I was intrigued by the trajectory, the fascinating certainty with which, in
the early 60s, the young author left the deepest Austrian countryside and
took the floor, writing his way onto center stage of the literary world.
I had travelled to Salzburg to see a production of his then-latest play Immer
noch Sturm (Still Storm). I then approached his publisher and also wrote a
letter to Mr. Handke. He replied, agreeing to let me visit him in Paris. The
initial visit was followed by several over the course of almost a year, in
which we got to know each other and discussed the project. I never
“pitched” him my project. At some point Peter Handke saw the Richter film
with his daughter in Berlin, and he decided to green light the project. Mr.
Handke had reservations about film as a medium to explore the non-visual
work of a writer: he insisted that the process demands isolation. “What will
you depict?” I always belived in the project and that we would find the right
visual language. Our continued exchange established the basis to just keep
working. Neither one of us stipulated any particular conditions.
READING PETER HANDKE
Long before I ever thought of making films, I wanted to read. In fact, I
began to read before I even could. I looked at the spines of books, their
colors and titles, or opened a cover and followed the letters in their
beautiful, evenly abstract order. How marvelous, later on, to discover the
author Peter Handke. Here was a writer who could make the light
between stalks on a harvested field appear in his sentences so vividly I
would rub my eyes in wonder; could portray the iciness in personal
relationships, the imperilment of the self, with chilling precision, but
could also warm the world with his language like virtually no other.
RESEARCH
For me it is an absolute necessity to immerse myself in the material – a
period of research that is time-consuming, and in this case it involved
reading and/or rereading almost all of Handke’s works (over 60 books,
essays, etc. as well as peripheral documentation). This is not necessarily
visible or quoted in the final film. Rather, the sum total of this input is
then a deep and rich source that informs the entire process: this is
where the ideas come from; this is what I ultimately rely on. All of this
background study, of course, also gives me a detailed understanding of
the work, its context, and the artist behind it.
AN UNCENSORED COSMOS
I spent time in the National Library in Vienna, where the Polaroids taken
by Peter Handke are on permanent loan. These not only give a record of
himself and his family life of the time, but also express the sense of
pleasure he had in taking the pictures, and his strong visual sense in
general, which is also reflected, in a very dense form, in his literature. I
also researched in the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, which has his
soup with bits of the forest floor left in). I remain fascinated by how he
lives his life with such clear self-determination, only as he wishes. The
title of his recent play ‘Still Storm’, is a good description of the man. He is
very focused on his interests and dedicated to writing, reading and
walking – he likes to spend several hours a day on foot in the woods and
uses mostly public transport.
WRITING COMES FIRST
notebooks from the 70s to the 90s. These records are a compilation of
notes on his travels, his insights, impressions, ideas, moods, various books
he read, dreams, drafts of work, etc., which form an incredible, uncensored
cosmos reflecting his life and work. So much of it was graphically striking
and aesthetically unique that they became visual elements in the film. I
was especially fond of his handwritten notebooks. Handke started writing
by hand a lot because of his extensive travelling. His handwriting also has
a strong impact on the specific and unique rhythm of his prose. I used his
handwriting and drawings in the film as a reflection of his inspirations
and his sensitive approach to reality.
FILMING
I shot the film intermittently over a period of about three years. We only
ever shot a maximum of five to six hours in a day, so as not to intrude on
the time Mr. Handke needs in isolation for his work. We had to remain
flexible, as Mr. Handke does not like to make firm plans in advance. He has
no personal assistant or secretary, so all scheduling had to be done with him
directly by phone. Because of the strong presence of nature in Mr. Handke’s
work it was my wish to have all four seasons represented on film. The main
location was Peter Handke’s home near Paris. We also shot at the house
he shares with his wife, actress Sophie Semin, in the Picardy region,
northeast of Paris. We also accompanied Mr. Handke on several trips, but
not all of them are included in the film. Most of the locations while
travelling were suggested by Mr. Handke himself. The initial “crew”
consisted of my camerawoman Nina Weseman (my daughter) and myself.
Later two other cameramen joined the project because of the shooting
schedule, but we were never more than a crew of four.
STILL STORM
When he does not feel intruded upon, Mr. Handke is one of the most
attentive hosts I’ve ever met. When we arrived for the first shoot, Mr.
Handke seemed to feel at ease with the situation from the start. He was
utterly accepting us, althought we must have seemed like a rather
unconventional film crew - myself and my daughter. That was a pleasant
surprise, along with his generous hospitality. We were often treated to a
table of homemade culinary delights (famous Handke-made mushroom
Timidity is a defining feature of his character, this was, of course, a
challenge for shooting the film – for Mr.Handke as well as for us. We had
to accept this as a fact. He was able to overcome the shyness sometimes
better than others. Sometimes one felt like an unwelcome intruder.
Compared to the intrusion into his work process that he would normally
accept/allow, he was exceptionally generous with us. But writing comes
first for Peter Handke. I wanted to stress the beauty of his language. It
was crucial to hear his voice reading from his own work. This is different
than a standard studio recording of him. I wanted the viewer to become
a “reader”, to feel that same excitement like when reading a good book.
That’s a feeling of something like coming home for me, and at the same
time like discovering a world where I’ve never been.
IN CONVERSATION
Conversing, however, is no easy matter, so precious yet precarious is the
terrain. No surprise then that my questions, too, were critically appraised.
Trial and error, then try, try again. I often came to film with questions or
certain topics in mind. In conversation, however, my choice of words or
formulations would then sometimes illicit sharp criticism, because of Mr.
Handke’s extremely precise and sensitive use of language. For example: he
doesn’t like the word “work”. For the word “to write”, in German, he uses
the word “to do”. This constant cross-examination could be so unnerving,
that I had to keep my wits about me to keep from becoming tongue-tied.
Amina Handke
CONTRADICTIONS AND INDEPENDENCE
In general, Peter Handke has unending attentiveness. He is also someone
who unites strong contradictions within himself. The tension bet­ween
patience and impatience is a constant theme. This is evident in the scene
on the sofa when he shows his impatience with my question (about his
choice of fictional characters when writing). But he gives a considered
answer nonetheless. In the past, he has been publicly unapologetic about
taking an unpopular stance. His outspoken sympathy for the Serbian
cause in the war in Yugoslavia is well known. In the film Mr. Handke
himself speaks about the matter and also his wife Sophie Semin refers to
this long-lasting debate full of insults and misunderstandings but she
does it in an empathic moderated way like a messenger in an ancient
theatre play, who reports the battle that had taken place. This conflict
with the media is first of all an example of Mr. Handke’s rigorous
intellectual independence.
A SORROW BEYOND DREAMS
APPROACHES
Though Peter Handke lives alone he is, in fact, a dedicated family man. It
was his own suggestion to include his wife and two daughters in the film.
I then discovered that the women in his immediate family made very
interesting contributions. His mother, who took her own life in 1971, is
the subject of one of his most significant and successful works (A Sorrow
Beyond Dreams - Wunschloses Unglück, 1972). Mr. Handke reads from
parts of the book in the film. His mother’s family also appears in many of his
works, so she is quite present in her absence, which is also depict in the film.
I see the two films PETER HANDKE: IN THE WOODS, MIGHT BE LATE and
GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING as part of a larger project exploring several
major art forms – painting, literature, film, music and architecture. I think
there are basic similar approaches in my work: the extensive research
period beforehand and no strict concept set down from the start. Most
importantly, I try to keep my openness to let things happen. No
strangleholds. Time is also an important factor. People, especially artists of
this caliber, can’t be forced or rushed. Openness also in terms of being
attentive to the proposals and impulses of the protagonists, and openness
to the element of chance. Later on in the editing suite there’s another
important concept – cutting away, letting go. Handke refers to this
technique of leaving things out. What you choose not to put in is also
crucial. He has a nice term for this in German: “Weglassarbeit” (“the
leaving-out-work”).
WIM WENDERS
In the film world, Peter Handke is well known for his collaboration with
director Wim Wenders. I considered shooting a meeting of the two
friends, but because of the rigors of scheduling and locations, it simply
never worked out. Ultimately I decided on representing this key relationship
with film clips, which I think express the heart of their collaboration.
CREDITS
Written and Directed by Corinna Belz
Editing
Stephan Krumbiegel
Image Nina Wesemann
Axel Schneppat
Piotr Rosolowski
Sound & Sound Design Andreas Hildebrandt
Recording Mixer Martin Steyer
Colorist Gregor Pfüller
Animation & Title Design Jutojo / Toby Cornish
Line Producer Tassilo Aschauer
Commissioning Editor Simone Reuter
Produced by Thomas Kufus
with the participation of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW,
BKM, DFFF, Media, SWR
Photos and diary notes courtesy of:
Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, Cordula Lebeck,
Literaturarchiv der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek and Peter Handke
CORINNA BELZ
Corinna Belz studied philosophy, art history and media sciences in
Cologne, Zurich and Berlin. She has written, directed and produced
numerous TV and feature films, including: LIFE AFTER MICROSOFT
(2001), OTHER AMERICAN VOICES (2002, nominated for the GrimmePreis, and awarded the Filmpreis des Deutschen Anwaltvereins) and
DREI WÜNSCHE (2005).
Her first film about Gerhard Richter’s work, DAS KÖLNER DOMFENSTER
(2007), won the World Media Gold Award – Art Documentaries. Her
feature documentary, GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING (2011), won the
LOLA, the top German film award. An enthusiastic international
reception included appearences in 68 US cities, with a nine week run
at the Film Forum, NYC. Corinna Belz lives in Cologne.
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ARTWORK: PROPAGANDA B
Filmmaker Corinna Belz explores the enigma that is
acclaimed writer Peter Handke: from the portrait of a
young man of the Austrian countryside who wrote his
way onto the literary center stage, to his current life at
home in the Paris suburbs...
An intimate portrait of a literary luminary from the
award-winning director of GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING.