Flashback: Edvard Munch

One of best pieces of cinema news of the past year most certainly should be the theatrical re-storing and re-issuing of Watkins’ 1973 film Edvard Munch (thanks to the stalwart efforts of Oliver Groom and his Toronto-based distribution company Project X, who will eventually also be releasing it on DVD). Regarded by many as Watkins’ most perfectly realized artistic achievement, Edvard Munch is nothing short of the examination of the soul of one artist by another, and by extension a journey into Watkins’ own spiritual struggle and aspirations. […]

«In my work I have tried to confront the notions of “documentary reality” and “objectivity” by deliberately staging my films as though they are “happening.” And by building into this illusion a number of challenging elements, including ambiguities, which expose the constructed nature and fictional aspect of the films. I believe this tension between so-called “reality” and “fiction” to be an extremely important field for the audiovisual media to explore.»

--  Fra et intervju i Cinema Scope med regissør Peter Watkins.