Straub–Huillet facts for kids

Jean-Marie Straub (born January 8, 1933 – died November 20, 2022) and Danièle Huillet (born May 1, 1936 – died October 9, 2006) were a French filmmaking team. They made about 24 films together from 1963 to 2006. Their movies are known for being very thoughtful and precise. They also showed their strong beliefs in fairness and equality for everyone. Even though they were French, they mostly worked in Germany and Italy. Some of their most famous films include From the Clouds to the Resistance (1979) and Sicilia! (1999).

About Their Lives

Jean-Marie Straub was born in Metz, France. He met Danièle Huillet, who was born in Paris, when they were students in 1954. Straub was very interested in movies and was part of a group of film lovers in Paris. He was friends with the famous director François Truffaut. Straub even wrote for Truffaut's film magazine, Cahiers du Cinéma.

Straub also worked as an assistant for several well-known film directors in Paris. These included Abel Gance, Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson, and Alexandre Astruc. Later, Straub and Huillet moved to Germany. Straub did this to avoid joining the military during the Algerian War.

At first, Huillet wanted to make films about different cultures. But she ended up helping Straub with his movie projects. In 1963, they made their first film together, Machorka-Muff. It was an 18-minute short film based on a story by Heinrich Böll. Their next film, Not Reconciled, was also based on a Böll story.

Their first full-length movie was Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach in 1968. After that, they made a new film every two or three years. Making Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach was hard. It took ten years to get enough money for the film. In the mid-1970s, they started making films in Italy. They often worked with producers from France and Britain too.

Straub and Huillet lived together for most of their lives. They did not have any children. Danièle Huillet passed away from cancer on October 9, 2006, when she was 70 years old. Jean-Marie Straub died on November 20, 2022, at the age of 89.

Their Film Style

All of Straub and Huillet's films are based on other works. These include books, operas, plays, and even political writings. They used writings by authors like Franz Kafka and Bertolt Brecht. They also used operas by Arnold Schoenberg and letters from people like J.S. Bach. Many of their films, like Klassenverhältnisse, show the strong connection between the original text and the movie.

Their first films, Machorka-Muff (1962) and Not Reconciled (1964), were made in Germany. Because of this, they were part of the New German Film movement. This movement was announced in 1962. Some critics said that their films made people think differently about the original stories.

Their early films talked about German topics after World War II. These included old ways of thinking and changes in society. However, their style was very different. They used actors who spoke in a quiet, unusual way. They also edited their films in a non-chronological order. This made some people confused or even dislike their work. Their first two films were even rejected by film festivals at first.

Their third film, Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach (1967), was made possible by many people giving money. This was a new way to fund a film back then. With this movie, Huillet and Straub started a new style. The main part of the film was the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The music was played live in front of the camera. They continued this way of showing music in their later opera films.

Straub and Huillet's films always had a political message. They believed that movies could make people think about big ideas. They were inspired by the ideas of Bertolt Brecht. Brecht believed that actors should not pretend to be their characters. Instead, they should show that they are "quoting" a role. Because of this, Straub and Huillet often worked with amateur actors. These actors used their natural way of speaking.

Their films are known for being very precise and carefully made. Every shot is planned perfectly. They did not change their style to fit in with normal movie rules. But Straub saw himself as a traditional filmmaker. He admired classic directors like Kenji Mizoguchi and John Ford.

Working Together

Jean-Marie Straub was more outgoing than Danièle Huillet. Because of this, many people thought he did most of the work. But they actually shared all the tasks equally. Straub was in charge of how the scenes were set up and filmed. Huillet managed much of the production design and editing. Both of them worked together on planning, writing, and rehearsals. You can see how they worked together in the documentary Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?. This film was made while they were editing Sicilia!.

Straub and Huillet often worked with the same people for many years. They had two main cameramen: William Lubtchansky (9 films) and Renato Berta (20 films). Their sound engineer, Louis Hochet, worked on 15 of their films. These included movies with live music, like Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach (1967). They also had a special connection with the town of Buti in Italy. They used this town as a filming location for many movies.

Other filmmakers also made movies about Straub and Huillet's work. These include Harun Farocki and Pedro Costa.

Filmography

• Machorka-Muff (1963)
• Nicht versöhnt oder Es hilft nur Gewalt wo Gewalt herrscht (1965)
• Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach (1968)
• Der Bräutigam, die Komödiantin und der Zuhälter (1968)
• Les Yeux ne veulent pas en tout temps se fermer, ou Peut-être qu'un jour Rome se permettra de choisir à son tour (1970)
• Geschichtsunterricht (1972)
• Einleitung zu Arnold Schoenbergs Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielscene (1973)
• Moses und Aron (1975)
• Fortini/Cani (1976)
• Toute révolution est un coup de dés (1977)
• Dalla nube alla resistenza (1979)
• En rachâchant (1982)
• Trop tot/trop tard (1982)
• Klassenverhältnisse (also released as Class Relations) (1984)
• Der Tod des Empedokles (1987)
• Schwarze Sünde (1989)
• Paul Cézanne im Gespräch mit Joachim Gasquet (1989)
• Die Antigone des Sophokles nach der Hölderlinschen Übertragung für die Bühne bearbeitet von Brecht 1948 (Suhrkamp Verlag) (1992)
• Lothringen! (1994)
• Von heute auf morgen (1997)
• Sicilia! (1999)
• Operai, contadini (2001)
• Il Ritorno del figlio prodigo - Umiliati (2003)
• Une visite au Louvre (2004)
• Quei loro incontri (2006)
• Europa 2005 - 27 octobre (2006) (TV) (uncredited)
• Dialogue d'ombres (2013)

See also

In Spanish: Straub-Huillet para niños