Customer Reviews

WR - Mysteries of the Organism (BFI Modern Classics)

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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".

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.