View source for La Commune (Paris, 1871)

{{other uses|Commune (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2010}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = La commune (Paris, 1871)
| image          =
| caption        =
| director       = [[Peter Watkins]]
| producer       =
| writer         = {{ubl|Agathe Bluysen|Peter Watkins}}
| narrator       =
| starring       =
| music          =
| cinematography = Odd-Geir Sæther
| editing        = {{ubl|Agathe Bluysen|Patrick Watkins|Peter Watkins}}
| studio         =
| distributor    =
| released       = {{film date|2000|05|26|Germany: TV premiere|2003|07|03|United States|2007|11|07|France|df=yes}}
| runtime        = 345 min.<br>220 min. (theatrical cut)
| country        = [[France]]
| language       = [[French language|French]]
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}
{{italic title|noerror|all=yes}} <!-- template after the infobox to prevent the display of error message -->
'''''La Commune (Paris, 1871)''''' is a 2000 historical [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Peter Watkins]] about the [[Paris Commune]]. A historical re-enactment in the style of a [[documentary film|documentary]], the film received much acclaim from critics for its political themes and Watkins' direction.
==Production==
''La Commune (Paris, 1871)'' has been noted for its very large cast. It is mainly non-professional, including many immigrants from [[North Africa]]. Members did much of their own research for the project. Watkins once said of the film, "[[The Paris Commune]] has always been severely marginalized by the French education system, despite - or perhaps because - it is a key event in the history of the European working class, and when we first met, most of the cast admitted that they knew little or nothing about the subject. It was very important that the people become directly involved in our research on the Paris Commune, thereby gaining an experiential process in analyzing those aspects of the current French system which are failing in their responsibility to provide citizens with a truly democratic and participatory process."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pwatkins.mnsi.net/commune.htm|title=LaCommune_PeterWatkins|website=pwatkins.mnsi.net}}</ref>
===Filming===
''La Commune (Paris, 1871)'' was shot in just 13 days in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of [[Paris]].
Like many of Watkins' later films, it is quite lengthy - a long cut runs 5 hours and 45 minutes, though the more common version is 3 and a half hours long. The long version is available on DVD. The making of ''La Commune (Paris, 1871)'' was documented in the 2001 [[National Film Board of Canada]] film ''[[The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins]]'', directed by [[Geoff Bowie]].<ref name=Bowie>{{cite web|last=Bowie|first=Geoff|title=The Universal Clock -The Resistance of Peter Watkins|url=http://www.nfb.ca/film/universal_clock_resistance_peter_watkins/|work=Online film|publisher=[[National Film Board of Canada]]|access-date=22 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=Begoray>{{cite journal|last=Begoray|first=Deborah L.|title=The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins|journal=Canadian Materials|date=11 April 2003|volume=IX|issue=16|url=http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol9/no16/theuniversalclock.html|access-date=22 November 2011|publisher=Manitoba Library Association|archive-date=1 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301031058/http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol9/no16/theuniversalclock.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Critical reception==
''La Commune (Paris, 1871)'' received general acclaim from film critics. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports 100% approval with an average rating of 8/10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_commune_2003/ |title='La Commune' (2003) on RT |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film holds a [[weighted average|mean]] score of 90/100, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/la-commune-paris-1871 |title=Reviews for 'La Commune (Paris 1871)' |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref>
[[J. Hoberman]] of ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' magazine wrote, "Watkins restages history in its own ruins, uses the media as a frame, and even so, manages to imbue his narrative with amazing presence. No less than the event it chronicles, La Commune is a triumph of spontaneous action."<ref name="villagevoice.com 2003">{{cite web |title=The Village Voice: Film: Anarchy Then and Now by J. Hoberman |website=villagevoice.com |date=2003-07-02 |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0327/hoberman2.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030708072020/https://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0327/hoberman2.php |archive-date=2003-07-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] called it Watkins' "latest magnum opus".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2002/05/the-revolution-has-been-televised/ |title=The Revolution Has Been Televised [Peter Watkins' LA COMMUNE] |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |date=May 17, 2002 |access-date=March 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150302094854/http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2002/05/the-revolution-has-been-televised/ |archive-date=March 2, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Dave Kehr]], writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', called it "essential viewing for anyone interested in taking an exploratory step outside the Hollywood norms."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/2003/07/03/movies/03COMM.html|title=It's Paris in 1871, and You Are There|newspaper=The New York Times|date=3 July 2003 |last1=Kehr |first1=Dave }}</ref>
In 2016, [[Michael Atkinson (writer)|Michael Atkinson]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' listed it as the greatest film since 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films-who-voted |title=The 21st Century's 100 greatest films: Who voted? |last=Atkinson |first=Michael |publisher=BBC |date=August 23, 2016 |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref>
== See also ==
*[[List of longest films]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Montero Martinez |first1=José Francisco |last2=Paredes Badía |first2=Israel |title=Imágenes de la revolución : la inglesa y el duque-Erich Rohmer ; La commune (Paris, 1871)-Peter Watkins |publisher=Shangrila |publication-place=Santander |year=2011 |isbn=9788493936617 |oclc=846477210 |id={{OCLC|915516683|808970491|830370026}}|language=es }}
==External links==
* [http://pwatkins.mnsi.net/commune.htm Notes on ''La Commune''] from Peter Watkins' website
* {{IMDb title|0257497}}
* [http://www.nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=51056&lg=en&exp=&v=h ''La Commune Paris 1871''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023224824/http://www.nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=51056&lg=en&exp=&v=h |date=2006-10-23 }} at the [[National Film Board of Canada|NFB]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717174257/http://www.us-soche.com/blog/?p=178 Peter Watkins' ''La Commune''] commentary at [https://web.archive.org/web/20110201162950/http://us-soche.com/ The Soche].
{{Peter Watkins}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commune (Paris, 1871)}}
[[Category:2000 films]]
[[Category:French black-and-white films]]
[[Category:2000s French-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Watkins]]
[[Category:Films about the Paris Commune]]
[[Category:2000 drama films]]
[[Category:French drama films]]
[[Category:2000s French films]]
[[Category:Self-reflexive films]]