Aleksandr Sokurov's Francofonia is a singular vision, a one-of-a-kind meditation on art that captures the reflective quality it presents on society and humanity, both past and present. Focusing on the history of the Louvre, Sokurov provides a tour of sorts of this historic museum, one which has been through the Nazi occupation of France. Sokurov's film is about the importance of art history, capturing the timelessness art can represent, as the one-of-a-kind filmmaker provides surrealistic touches throughout, examining the intermingled relationship between art, history, and humanity. Francofonia could be described as a love letter to the Louvre, but it is is so much more, with the filmmakers using a vast array of cinematic devices to capture the essence of how art is a reflection of humanities' history. The way the film is constructed, from reanactments and reimaginings, to stock footage, and a wandering camera which explores the architecture and artwork of this iconic French Museum, Sokoruv creates an absorbing film about art history that never feels dull. WWII planes fly over the Louvre and Napolean wanders the halls, as Sokurov provides what is essentially a poetic history lesson that is a very convincing argument for the importance of artwork through history. At one point Sokorov laments, "all museums must be prepared for war", as Francofonia becomes not only a film about the importance of art, but its ability to survive through great conflict. Throughout Francofonia, the director himself has on again, off again communications with the captain of a cargo ship who is carrying a museum's artwork. As the cargo ship enters perilous waters it faces a vicious storm, which becomes a symbolic representation of Art adrift in a sea of human conflict. Aleksandr Sokurov's Fracofonia is a film that will probably only be interested with those who has an interest in art, but that is a shame, as the film is a wonderfully structured, artistically crafted love letter to art as a whole and its importance as a reflection on humanity
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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