This film is a series of vignettes, some scripted, some documentary style, of people who have been influenced by Bach's music or are playing it. It weaves in and out between fictional and not, and at first seems to have no form until you realize that some of these episodes are interrelated. At those times, the film has a cohesion that is very welcome. If you are not a classical music fan or you have no interest in this director's work, you/d probably not want to watch this film, as it is a story told in music and voice about Bach. Interestingly enough, it is not about the life of Bach, just the influence of his music. The acting is fine, but not the reason you'll watch this film. Above all, you're hearing genius, and that makes the film worthwhile.

This is the most recent work by the Catalan film maker,Pere Portabella. Although I've never seen his previous body of work, if it's any thing like this, I would love to see them (which would be a chore,as Portabella adamantly refuses to have any of his films released in any video form). 'Die Stille Vir Bach' is a meditation on life & how it's connected to classical music. It consists of a series of inter connected images, but with a fragmented narrative (it reminded me of some of the films of Luis Bunuel). The film is cast with relative unknowns (at least unknown on this continent). It would be recommended to lovers of classical music,or surrealist/experimental/avant garde cinema.

If Luis Bunuel cared about music, he would have made this movie. Writer/Producer/Director Pere Portabella was the producer of Bunuel's "Viridiana," so it's OK to draw a line between their approaches to film.

The "Silence Before Bach" is a series of vignettes, somewhat like the "Phantom of Liberty" or "Russian Ark," devoted to the life-enhancing qualities of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Some sequences are modern-day, some are in period costume. Some are flatly reportorial, some flirt with Vermeer-like poetry. Things never get too heavy, and sometimes they rise to a crackling Catalan wit.

I'm indebted to the film for introducing me to the writings of the mad Romanian writer Emil Cioran, who noted tortuously that "Bach's music is the only argument proving that the creation of the Universe can't be regarded as a complete failure."

At the time of this writing, links to external reviews appear to be skimpy. However, there are reviews of this film in the NY Times, Post and Sun, New York Magazine and the New Yorker, the Village Voice, the New Republic and Film Comment. Hopefully the IMDb will get around to roping some of them in eventually.

Unfortunately, Pere Portabella will not allow his films to be released on video or DVD, so if this one pops up in a theater near you, don't miss it.