History Lessons

The reflections on the political economy of ancient Rome are quite interesting, although hard to follow unless, probably, one is already very familiar with Roman history, and the driving scenes suggest both continuities and discontinuities in the unfolding of the history of the city and state since then. Still, more likely to inspire audiences to read the unfinished novel from which it borrows (which also inspired LUDWIG'S COOK) than to think further about the decisions made by the filmmakers.

Another dry intellectual exercise by S/H that intersperses 'interviews' with people from different walks of life with long shots of a young man driving. Given their Marxist leanings, the emphasis is unsurprisingly placed on the musings of a banker and the folly and injustice of allowing financial institutions and captains of industry to control our lives. These scenes are the clear highlights, but the driving sequences get monotonous, and the overall 'message' is a little obvious.

This just in: Straub and Huillet films still suck.