John Hughes über Walter Benjamin

Vor einer Woche ist John Hughes im Alter von erst 59 Jahren gestorben. Christian Liemke hat in seinem Blog DVDuell einige Verweise zu diesem Regisseur zusammengetragen, der in seinen Teenager-Filmen der Jugendkultur der achtziger Jahre Ausdruck verliehen hat.

Dies ist vielleicht eine Gelegenheit, auf ein weniger bekanntes Werk von John Hughes mit einem erstaunlichen Thema hinzuweisen, den Filmessay „One Way Street“ (Einbahnstraße) über Leben, Werk und Schicksal Walter Benjamins :

„ONE WAY STREET explores the life and work of German Jewish critic and philosopher, Walter Benjamin, who died escaping the Gestapo in 1940. Although Benjamin’s work is little known in this country, he is regarded in Europe as one of the most influential figures in 20th Century thought.

ONE WAY STREET provides clear and accessible introductions to some of the central ideas in Benjamin’s writings. Expert commentary from a range of English scholars situate Benjamin’s work in the context of their time and evoke a sense of the excitement that his work has generated. A heightened visual style, montage structure and strong musical treatments correspond in evocative and powerful ways with the concerns and the strategies of Benjamin himself.“ (Ronin Films)

Die DVD ist in Australien bei dem renommierten Vertrieb Ronin Films erschienen.

Susanna Scarparo hat eine Kritik zu diesem Film geschrieben. Sie zitiert John Hughes „history brakes down into images, not into stories“ und schlussfolgert: „… it breaks into dialectical images, into fragments of the dreams of the past.“ So hat der Regisseur denn auch seinen Film angelegt:

„The character „Benjamin“, as a human being and as a philosopher, is portrayed through many different media and voices. „Benjamin“ is played by one male and two female actors, and one of the two female actors also plays Asja, shows us photographs of him and talks about him. In addition, Benjamin’s philosophical argument is presented by means of written quotations, and by four experts talking about him and his writings. Moreover, we also, presumably, see his „real“ image through several photographs of himself and his family. Thus, Benjamin himself, as well as his „history“ are fragmented into images, not into stories.“ (Susanna Scarparo: „An Analysis of the Video One Way Street and of Walter Benjamin’s Dialectical Thinking“)

Nachtrag vom 15.8.2009: Kein Wunder, dass „One Way Street“ ein „weniger bekanntes Werk des verstorbenen Regisseurs John Hughes“ ist – besser gesagt, es ist völlig unbekannt, denn es exisitiert gar nicht in seinem Werkverzeichnis. Robert Fischer hat ganz zurecht auf den entscheidenden Fehler hingewiesen: Der Film über Walter Benjamin stammt von John Hughes, einem australischen Dokumentarfilmer:

John Hughes and Cindy Clarkson packings DVDs („Time to Go, John“)

Es ist interessant, diesen Dokumentaristen kennenzulernen. Er hat sich z. B. an dem Omnibusfilm „Time to Go, John“ beteiligt, der Teil einer Kampagne australischer Filmemacher gegen den dortigen Premierminister John Howard war. Howard verlor schließlich die Wahlen von 2007 und musste sein Regierungsamt aufgeben. Ungewöhnlich war die Vertriebskampagne für den Film, die im wesentlichen auf dem Versand von DVDs basierte:

“ As well as the production of the film itself the team of filmmakers also had to work out how to self-distribute the film nationally as well as trying to get it screening in marginal seats. The response from many cinemas was positive and a national premiere secured. In addition, a strategy was devised to get the film circulated through special “house-party” screenings, hosted by individuals in their homes or at local social clubs. With the motivation of reaching the widest audience possible it was also decided that the films should be available for viewing online.
All of this had to be done in seven weeks and with absolutely no budget, not a cent. With so many things to organise in such a short time fame many may have shied from the challenge but the collective felt it would have been “un-Australian” not to attempt to achieve a goal they all felt so compelled by.

Time To Go John is a result of the commitment and passion of the people who contributed to the production of this film. Thank you to the people involved, to all Aussie battlers dedicated to a better future. Well done for dreaming up Time To Go John and delivering as promised. The film is dedicated to all the people across Australia who dared to stand up and be counted.“ (Website „Time to Go, John“)