La Commune (Paris, 1871)

''La Commune (Paris, 1871)'' is a 2000 French docudrama directed by Peter Watkins. It tells the story of the Paris Commune, a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 after the defeat of Napoleon III during the Franco-Prussian War. The Commune only lasted for over two months before being defeated by the forces of Third Republic on 28 May.

Synopsis

The story starts with a meta-narrative where Gerard Watkins and Aurelia Petit, playing journalists, introduce the film set of the French Commune where filming has just ended.

The inhabitants of Paris introduce themselves and their life in Paris which is plagued with poverty, hunger and suppression of revolutionary ideas. On 18 March government soldiers move in to reclaim the cannons of the National Guard, fearing they might be used against the new regime in Versailles. This causes an uproar. Fraternization with the army by the women of Montmartre foils the attempt to remove the cannons. Insurrection spreads quickly, and by 09.00 a.m. government authority has vanished.

National TV Versailles gives modern tv-reports, criticizing the rebellion in Paris, while journalists Bourlet and Capellier interview people for Commune TV regarding their situation. The Paris Commune is proclaimed after elections are held on 28 March. People of different political ideologies are represented in the Counsil. Their first orders are the suspension of payment of rent and a ban on gambling, but also making their sessions closed to the public. On 3 April, Church and State are separated, a list of Principles is declared, and the National Guard march on Versailles in what is called the “Great Sortie”. The march is a complete failure, as the Guard is routed by government artillery fire, and prisoners are executed or taken to Versailles. This thrusts the Commune into a state of war, and the Archbishop of Paris is arrested on 4 April.

While the Versailles army grows, the Commune establishes its administration and cracks down on spies and draft-dodgers. On 11 April a new National Guard Battalion leaves for the front. The Communards shut down several ‘reactionary’ papers, including a few critical pro-Commune ones, and a Women’s Union is established. The Commune implements several social and economic reforms, and the actors discuss problems occurring in 1999, and the movie's production.

The Versailles army begins shelling the capital, making districts uninhabitable. As the different Committees fail to cooperate, and the Council struggles to put its decrees into practice by lack of funds, the Jacobite Majority votes to create a Committee of Public Safety to centralize power. This creates more division within the Commune.

On 21 May, the Versailles troops enter Paris through an unguarded gate and start executing prisoners the following day. The Communards erect barricades and give their final words to the journalists before being shot by Government forces. The Commune holds its last session on 25 May. In the end, the Commune execute 100 of their prisoners, while the Government execute 30.000 people during the “Bloody Week”.

Distribution

According to Watkins, La Sept ARTE changed their opinion on the film after seeing the finished film, regarding it as “incomplete”. The film was screened in its original length, but at the latest timeslot (22:00 to 04:00) on May 26, 2000. Watkins regards this as an act of censorship.La Commune
at Peter Watkins site.

The Association for the promotion and distribution of 'La Commune' later wrote a collective statement:

“Seeing the difficulties which a film of such scope encounters: the insidious censoring by ARTE on TV and their refusal to distribute the film on video, the marginalizing of the work, the refusal of French film distributers to release the film, the silence in the media... This asks questions of our capacity to prolong and develop the process of resistance and participation. This is why our Association also sets itself the objective of developing communal experience by the creation of places and spaces where discussions which propose thought, reflection, and organization against the abuse of power by the dominant mass media can take place. To initiate, propose and organize collective projects and debates around the questions which « La Commune (Paris 1871) » raises for us. To create free speech, with or without the institutions ... A ‘wide-angle’ vision rather than ‘tele-objective’.”La Commune
at Peter Watkins site.

Reception

Although initial reactions from French critics were mixed, others have written very positively about the film. La Commune
at Peter Watkins site.
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports 100% approval with an average rating of 8/10. On Metacritic, the film holds a mean score of 90/100, indicating "universal acclaim".

J. Hoberman of '' Sight & Sound'' magazine wrote, "Watkins restages history in its own ruins, uses the media as a frame, and even so, manages to imbue his narrative with amazing presence. No less than the event it chronicles, La Commune is a triumph of spontaneous action." Jonathan Rosenbaum called it Watkins' "latest magnum opus". Dave Kehr, writing for ''The New York Times'', called it "essential viewing for anyone interested in taking an exploratory step outside the Hollywood norms."

The movie won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards in 2005, came in 4th place in Village Voice Film Poll for "Best Film of the Decade" in 2009, and in 2016, Michael Atkinson of ''The Village Voice'' listed it as the greatest film since 2000.

See also

* List of longest films

References

Bibliography

*

External links

Notes on ''La Commune''
from Peter Watkins' website
*

''La Commune Paris 1871''
at the NFB

Peter Watkins' ''La Commune''
commentary a
The Soche

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commune (Paris, 1871)
2000 films
French black-and-white films
2000s French-language films
Films directed by Peter Watkins
Films about the Paris Commune
2000 drama films
French drama films
2000s French films
Self-reflexive films