WEST GERMANY/ITALY, 16MM, 1.33:1, COLOR, 88′
[Opening credits, white text on black]
– Les yeux ne veulent pas en tout temps se fermer
– ou Peut-être qu’un jour Rome se permettra de choisir à son tour
– Based on Othon [1664] by Pierre Corneille
– Film by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet
– Assisted by Leo Mingrone, Anna Raboni, Sebastian Schadhauser, Italo Pastorino, Elias Chaluja
– Hairdresser: Todero Guerrino
– Photography: Ugo Piccone, Renato Berta
– Sound: Louis Hochet, Lucien Moreau
– Production: Janus-Film, Klaus Hellwig
[End credits, scrolling, white text on black]
– Othon: Adriano Aprà, Plautine: Anne Brumagne, Galba: Ennio Lauricella, Camille: Olimpia Carlisi, Vinius: Anthony Pensabene, Lacus: Jubarite Semaran [Jean-Marie Straub], Martian: Jean-Claude Biette, Albin: Leo Mingrone, Albiane: Gianna Mingrone, Flavie: Marilù Parolini, Atticus: Edoardo de Gregorio, Rutile: Sergio Rossi [1st soldier: Sebastian Schadhauser, 2nd soldier: Jacques Fillion]
– Processing and prints: LV di Luciano Vittori
– This film is dedicated to the very great number of those born into the French language who have never had the privilege to get to know the work of Corneille; and to Alberto Moravia and Laura Betti who obtained permission for me to shoot on Palatine Hill and in the gardens of the villa Doria-Pamphilj in Rome. J.-M. S.
PRODUCTION DATES AND LOCATION: four weeks in Rome, August–September 1969.
EQUIPMENT: 1 Éclair-Coutant, 4 lenses, 1 Nagra.
FILM STOCK: Eastman 7254 (13,920 m.), blown up to 35mm.
FINAL LENGTH: 2,400 m. BUDGET: 170,000 DM.
SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH by Huillet and Misha Donat, IN ITALIAN by Huillet and Adriano Aprà, IN GERMAN by Huillet and Herbert Linder.
FIRST SCREENING: 1970 Rapallo Film Festival (January 4); 1970 Mannheim Film Festival (October 8); 1970 New York Film Festival. Released for one week in
New York at St. Mark’s Cinema and Film Forum, November 1971. TV PREMIERE: January 26, 1971 (ZDF, West Germany), followed by a dis cussion with Jean-Marie Straub, Ulrich Gregor, Ivan Nagel, Karsten Peters, and Rudolph Ganz.
