Bach’s movieⅡ
Arguably the best film about Bach is “Johann Sebastian Bach”, an East German-Hungarian co-production made in the 1980s.
The performance of Ulrich Thein, who plays Bach, is really wonderful. His face looks just like Bach’s, and he seems to have become Bach himself. The way he speaks is also just like Bach (I mean he would have probably spoken like that). I saw this movie more than 30 years ago, but what I remember most is the episode with Louis Marchand in Dresden. First of all, Marchand is portrayed as a “playboy” with a strong desire for self-expression. The “French Overture” that he played at the salon concert was also very cool and left a strong impression on me. It was funny that Bach, who was eavesdropping on the performance from the attic, did not pay attention to Marchand’s performance and music, but said, “That Silbermann instrument is wonderful”. Marchand was also a womanizer, and one day he was trying to seduce a young lady at the court. Then he hears the sound of his opponent, Bach tuning his harpsichord. When Marchand hears it, he panics and says, “What the hell is that tuning?” Then he packed his bags and left Dresden. After that, there is a scene where Bach plays “Fantasy in C minor” by himself in the salon with great enthusiasm. Other famous episodes from Bach’s life are also introduced, and the film is well worth watching. #baroque #bach #片山俊幸
