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Moise et Aaron

Original title: Moses und Aron
  • 1975
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
531
YOUR RATING
Moise et Aaron (1975)
Moses and Aaron finds Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, through their exemplary craft, transforming a familiar Biblical tale into a borderline-surreal cinematic opera of seemingly endless possibility. In expressive, melodic tones, the fraternal pair debate God's true message and intent for His creations, a conflict that leads their followers -- in extravagantly choreographed song and dance -- towards chaos and sin. Set almost entirely within a Roman amphitheater whose history lends every precise line-reading and gesture, every startling camera move and cut, a totalizing force, Straub-Huillet's adaptation of Schoenberg's unfinished opera opens us to the stimulating worldview of a filmmaking duo whose masterful efforts are finally coming to light.
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In expressive, melodic tones, the fraternal pair debate God's true message and intent for His creations, a conflict that leads their followers - in extravagantly choreographed song and dance... Read allIn expressive, melodic tones, the fraternal pair debate God's true message and intent for His creations, a conflict that leads their followers - in extravagantly choreographed song and dance - towards chaos and sin.In expressive, melodic tones, the fraternal pair debate God's true message and intent for His creations, a conflict that leads their followers - in extravagantly choreographed song and dance - towards chaos and sin.

  • Directors
    • Danièle Huillet
    • Jean-Marie Straub
  • Writer
    • Arnold Schönberg
  • Stars
    • Günter Reich
    • Louis Devos
    • Eva Csapo
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    531
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Danièle Huillet
      • Jean-Marie Straub
    • Writer
      • Arnold Schönberg
    • Stars
      • Günter Reich
      • Louis Devos
      • Eva Csapo
    • 8User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    MOSES AND AARON Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:13
    MOSES AND AARON Official Trailer

    Photos11

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    Top cast21

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    Günter Reich
    • Moses
    Louis Devos
    • Aron
    Eva Csapo
    • Junges Mädchen
    • (as Eva Csapò)
    Roger Lucas
    • Junger Mann
    Richard Salter
    • Anderer Mann
    Werner Mann
    • Priester
    Ladislav Illavsky
    • Ephraîmit
    Elfriede Obrowsky
    • Kranke
    • (as Friedl Obrowsky)
    Helmut Baumann
    • Tänzer
    Jürg Burth
    • Tänzer
    Nick Frarrant
    • Tänzer
    Wolfgang Kegler
    • Tänzer
    Michael Molnar
    • Tänzer
    Husam Aldin M. Ali
    • Priest
    • (uncredited)
    Adriano Aprà
    • Priester
    • (uncredited)
    Hans-Peter Böffgen
    • Warrior
    • (uncredited)
    Bianca Florelli
      Walter Grassi
      • Priester
      • (uncredited)
      • Directors
        • Danièle Huillet
        • Jean-Marie Straub
      • Writer
        • Arnold Schönberg
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews8

      6.8531
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      Featured reviews

      8tentender

      Uncompromising: yes

      One of the more watchable filmed operas -- even if one is not terribly fond of the opera. Of course it's not a "gustatory" work (in Brecht's terms) -- meant not for enjoyment but edification. This fits well with the Straub-Huillet aesthetic -- their films are, if nothing else, difficult, so it's a good match between text and director(s). I am somehow (perhaps it is pure snobbishness!) fond of their work. Certainly the earlier short films, "Not Reconciled" and "Machorka Muff" affected me deeply when I saw them in the early 70s. (Their cut-up narratives are appealing to the puzzle-solver in me; their strong ethical stances to the priest in me.) And while the austerity of the Moses/Aron/People scenes is very stark, there is also plenty of vitality in the Golden Calf/orgy scenes. The sacrifice of the virgins, in fact, made me think of Pasolini: visually beautiful yet morally chilling.
      8Varlaam

      Uncompromising

      Schoenberg's music will not be to all tastes, but I bought the Michael Gielen / ORF soundtrack recording after seeing this film, something I didn't do after viewing The Lion King or Titanic. Gielen, incidentally, is Schoenberg's son-in-law.

      I found this production riveting with intense performances from the two principals. An austere staging suits the score.

      I would love an opportunity to see this film again. Any chance that Cinematheque Ontario will reprise their Opera As Cinema series? The other films in the series to rival Moses and Aaron in quality if not in style were Katerina Izmailova, Boris Godunov, and Tales of Hoffman.

      Schoenberg returned to the faith of his forefathers after experiencing persecution at the hands of us Christians. He really came back with a vengeance.
      1Falkner1976

      Nothing is nothing.

      Incomprehensible the attitude of critics to the work that I've seen from Huillet and Strauss, be it their Chronicle of Ana Magdalena BAch, their Antigone, or this insubstantial filming of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron.

      I am not talking about the work of Schoenberg, whose undoubted merit as one of the absolute masterpieces of 20th century art does not belong to the makers of this film. We should not forget that the music is from Shoenberg, the text is from Schoenberg. I try to value the contribution of the film itself, that is, the filming.

      The filming is null. When a singer sings, it focuses on him, when the choir sings, it focuses on the choir. When the choir sings for a long time, several shots alternate from different angles. Sometimes when a chorus sing there is a pan over the landscape.

      Well sometimes when the chorus sing the camera shows Aaron...

      It could be shot in one day, no great effort as characters don't move.

      The six characters and the choir are placed in a ruined Roman amphitheater.

      Sometimes the camera moves from one character to another, or to the chorus. The image is stark, without nuances, under a blazing sun.

      Camera movements are clumsy and jerky. Everything seems out of sync from the soundtrack.

      And that's it. There's no more. Look no further. Let's not pay attention to the delusional sociopolitical analyzes that we can find on the Internet. It seems everything is good when you have the "correct" political ideas...
      8TheLittleSongbird

      Not for all tastes but I found it surprisingly effective

      Schoenberg's music is never going to be everybody's cup of tea. Least of all mine, I appreciate Schoenberg and Expressionism in general much more than I did when I was doing music GCSEs four years ago, but I'll be honest in saying that I don't think he is ever going to be one of my favourites. Moses Und Aaron is a very problematic opera with a lot of the staging giving you the sense that it is next to impossible to realise on stage, like with the three biblical miracles and the Golden Calf scenes. However, while it takes time to warm to, the score is very powerful stuff. I think this film version is above decent, surprisingly effective even in parts. True a lot of the acting is stolid to the point it could be seen as immobile and the ending(like with the opera) feels very anti-climatic and inconclusive. However, the austere setting fits very well with the equally austere scoring, though the Golden Calf/Orgy scenes are somewhat exciting. The camera work is fascinating from the long shots to the very geometric camera movements. The orchestral playing is marvellously evocative, and the conducting keeps things moving while never rushing or dragging. The chorus are also not bad, though at times sounding under-rehearsed. The two leads are superb, Gunther Reich is a very commanding Moses and Louis Devos a contrastingly eloquent Aaron. Overall, this is not going to be an opera or film that everybody is going to like, but considering how problematic the opera is I think the film does its job better than expected. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox
      1colarusso-1

      The worst movie opera

      Moses and Aron is one of the most important Schoenberg's work. He wrote the text and the music. The musical language is very complicated and perform this opera is always a challenge. This film uses one of the finest recordings of Schoenberg's masterpiece as sound, the 1974 recording conducted by Michael Gielen. That could be a very good start, but really, I prefer to listen this recording to watch this grotesque film. I think the direction used only two cameras as the images are always the same for long periods. Moses and Aron look as characters of the "Ten commandments" by Cecil B D. Mile. Israel's people is a ridiculous small choir, all the times without any kind of expression. The second act, with the scene of the orgy around the Golden Calf, is all-comic. At the beginning of the worship, there is a solo of trombone, very dramatic. What we see? A bored camel, nothing more. Other comic moment is when two young have sexual relations. It is as exciting as one advertising of a flue medicament. I am sure that people that heard this magnificent opera for the first time watching this film, never more will try to listen it again. Thank goodness, there are two excellent videos of this opera, one from the Ruhrtriennale 2009 and one from the Vienna Staatsoper.

      Storyline

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      Did you know

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      • Trivia
        The film was dedicated to Holger Meins, the former cinematography student who joined a West German terrorist group in the early 1970s and died on hunger strike in prison. This dedication was censored by German broadcasters for the film's first airing in 1975. It should be noticed that the contrast between ideology and actions has a key role in the film, like in Arnold Schönberg's opera.
      • Crazy credits
        Für Holger Meins, J.M.S. und D.H.
      • Connections
        Edited into Proposta in quattro parti (1985)

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      Details

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      • Release date
        • May 1975 (France)
      • Countries of origin
        • West Germany
        • Austria
        • France
        • Italy
      • Language
        • German
      • Also known as
        • Moïse et Aaron
      • Filming locations
        • Alba Fucens, Massa d'Albe, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
      • Production companies
        • Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)
        • Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD)
        • Hessischer Rundfunk (HR)
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

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      • Budget
        • DEM 1,320,000 (estimated)
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

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      • Runtime
        • 1h 47m(107 min)
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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