WR - Mysteries of the Organism (BFI Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Raymond Durgnat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2008

The starting point for Dusan Makavejev's film 'WR: Mysteries of the Organism' is Wilhelm Reich, the Marxist psychoanalyst who preached sexual enlightenment as a gateway to a better society. Juxtaposing hippie America and cold war Yugoslavia, it's a film which speaks urgently to the contemporary world. In the BFI MODERN CLASSICS series.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raymond Durgnat (1932-2002) was the author of many groundbreaking books about the cinema, among them Films and Feelings (1967), A Mirror for England (1970), Sexual Alienation in the Cinema (1971), The Strange Case of Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir (both 1974), and A Long Hard Look at Psycho (BFI, 2002).

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: British Film Institute (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851707203
• ISBN-13: 978-0851707204
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have waited for more than 20 years for this book!, June 29, 1999

By 

Stephen Fesenmaier (charleston, wv USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: WR - Mysteries of the Organism (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)

WR-Mysteries of the Organism is one of the most interesting, most fun, most profound movies ever made. It changed my life, leading me into cinema therapy.My first MA thesis in library science was partially about this film.Luckily for me, it is briefly discussed in my favorite book, Film As a Subversive Art, by Amos Vogel. (A still from it is one the cover.) Raymond Durgnat is one of the great film scholars in the world - and has done a fine job probing this most interesting of all films. To me, it is the "Citizen Kane of the post 60s world".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing analysis of an amazing film, July 5, 2006

By 

Steward Willons (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: WR - Mysteries of the Organism (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Raymond Durgnat has done an amazing job of sorting through this Dusan Makavejev's postmodern collage. I first learned about "WR: Mysteries of the Organism" from my Yugoslavian film professor who cued me into some of the many subtleties. This film is so incredibly full of meaning, most of which is lost on American (and probably most non-Eastern European) audiences. Since not everyone can have the luxury of a native Yugoslavian film professor to guide them through the film's dense layering of signification, this book is essential to a complete understanding of WR.

Durgnat presents a very well researched guide in a clear, understandable manner. I wish he had turned this guide into a book-length study because I'm sure he had more valuable insights than fit in this book's 96 pages. My only complaint is in the organization. Unless one is very familiar with the film, it's not always clear which section is under discussion. Since the film itself is presented in such a fractured style, it is understandably difficult to analyze the film in any sort of linear fashion without robbing it of a sense of coherence and unity. As it stands, it would be fairly difficult to watch the film while reading along. I don't feel that this one fault necessarily diminishes its usefulness though. The text is well written and is constantly interesting. If you're interested in WR, Durgnat's study is essential reading.