A Walk Through H

critics know greenaway as a visual artist; here, his canvasses betray how good. lines stand by themselves, routes in the tale on which this is hung, somehow uninterpretable because of the unevenness of the line, the paint, the medium. the conceit would have been better supported by 50 rather than the 92 maps numerology imposes (the number of maps in a found book).

clever, ok, clever vehicle, catalogue for his graphic work.

well previous comments that suggest that this is merely a catalogue or showcase for Greenaway's graphic work are entirely mistaken. This is easily one of the most thrilling and totally enjoyable films I've ever seen. When discussing I would compare this to feature films as - aside from its length - this short film feels as complete and expansive in scope as any epic out there. Certainly a lot of this is due to Greenaway's encyclopedic approach to things. There is a lot to take in here.

A mention should also be given to its technical competence - certainly some of the loveliest rostrum photography you'll see anywhere (Bert Walker) and the seamless camera movements at the film's beginning and end are admirable for such an early project.

I am in no doubt that Peter Greenaway has the mind of a genius. But a genius can rant. The overall effect on me was that the film-maker was ranting to himself. This may be acceptable in shorter films, but over a certain length (15 to 20 minutes max.) the mind of the viewer expects a gear change. This is why the language of long format films is different from short films. Emotional and narrative turning points are necessary. Dramatic tension , assertive or subtle, is required to prevent disengagement. Connection with human energy encourages involvement. The only human connection was the formal voice devoid of any warmth. Therefore, even at only 40 minutes, the experience became tedious. Such a pity, as the initial sense of quest drew me in, and the graphics, and visual details were, mind blowing, literally. Halve the length, and even the ranting could become tolerable.

We slowly enter a gallery with many drawings displayed, each framed and situated adjacently on the walls. The narrator tells us that Tulse Luper arranged all the drawings for him while he was ill. The narrator tells us about some of the drawings, some given to him, some stolen, one of them stolen by him. We then arrive at a drawing that Tulse Luper says the narrator will probably need first. The drawing is focused on, Michael Nyman's familiar music starts to play, and, on Tuesday morning, at a quarter to two, the journey begins.

The places are described; a scarlet brick road initially leads through them. Tulse Luper suggested the narrator's journey through H needed 92 maps, and the time to decide what H stood for was at the end of the journey, and by that time, it scarcely mattered. By the time the thirteenth map is reached, the preceding maps begin to fade, each now bears a cross shaped mark. It could be a signpost or a skeleton of a windmill. Maps are fading, and the narrator is now running through H.

The maps cease fading. We soon reach the Amsterdam map, which previously belonged to the keeper of the Owls at the Amsterdam Zoo, Van Hoyten. Van Hoyten is now a bird counter. Different birds are now shown to us at brief intervals. The journey continues through the remaining diverse maps. Eventually, on Tuesday morning, at a quarter to two, the destination is reached. The narrator has travelled through 92 maps, and covered 1,418 miles.

A lady in the gallery gets up from her desk, puts on her coat, and leaves. She had been reading a book called Some Migratory Birds of the Northern Hemisphere by Tulse Luper, 92 Maps, 1418 Birds in Colour.

A Walk Through H is a pretty typical example of an early Peter Greenaway film. Like others he made from the 70's it's a narrative free experimental work that explores the possibilities of what film as a medium can be. Unsurprisingly, it contains both the strengths and weaknesses these other films share. The idea of it is essentially a walk through a gallery which exhibits 92 drawings of maps. The film is a graphical journey through these maps, where we zoom in and pan across them looking at them in some detail, while following a red 'road' which is the channel in which we navigate these strange landscapes. All the while, a narrator explains about how he came to possess the maps and tells anecdotes about the things we encounter within them.

This is another experimental film from Greenaway which showcases his highly personal and bizarre fascinations. There is the adherence to cataloguing, many references to ornithology and footage of various birds, the appearance of elusive Greenaway characters Tulse Luper and Van Hoyten and relentless narration full of strange humour. It also features once more the distinctive minimalist music of Michael Nyman. I felt the film was at its strongest latterly when this impressive soundtrack took centre stage at the expense of the narration by Colin Cantlie. It may just be me but I do find Cantlie's voice fairly annoying, especially when recounting Greenaway's script. I have always found Greenaway films to be consistently visually interesting but hampered somewhat when people open their mouths to recite his words. I find him a fairly poor writer but impressive visual artist and A Walk Through H is no exception on that front for me, as I did find the narration to become hard to bear after a while. It's possibly because the ideas in this film, while interesting to an extent, probably need a slightly more expansive approach to engage the viewer more, such as the approach he took in the earlier Vertical Features Remake (1978). This is certainly another uncompromisingly experimental bit of work from Greenaway though, so if you like his unique style this will surely not disappoint.