Gerhard Richter’s distancing itself from Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Film: The artist-drama, abuse and distort his biography, said the painter to the U.S. magazine “The New Yorker”.
The Film, which came out in October of last year in the German cinemas, tells the story of a painter by the name of Kurt Barnert, who grows up during the Nazi era, the GDR’s first successes celebrating, but then in West Germany, a new start ventures. The historical epic is based in part on the life story of Gerhard Richter.
For the German cinema release last October, a judge had distanced himself from the Film. He find him “too lurid,” he said at the time, the German press Agency (dpa). Seen he doesn’t have the Film – “out of practical reasons – because I can’t take three and a half hours even in my old age”. But the Trailer, the film’s Director, had passed on to him.
Angry: Gerhard Richter
“Told him clearly that I would not agree”
Now, shortly before the announcement of the Oscar nominations this Tuesday – in which “work without the author” in the category “best foreign language Film” of opportunities has exacerbated the artist in the American magazine “The New Yorker” in his criticism. The judge had taken Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s request prior to the shooting several times with him about his life spoken. The Director was to have the screenplay read aloud. Judges have found it good and even offered to produce specially images for the Film.
However, judge it is now in a different way: “soon after his first or second visit, I told him (Henckel von Donnersmarck, Anm. d. Red.) clearly, I would not agree to a Film about Gerhard Richter,” wrote the painter to an interview request from the “New Yorker”. “I also suggested that the Protagonist could in another profession, such as, for example, a writer or a musician, because of the family history, he wanted to tell, needed a painter as such. He was open to all his options and I gave him something in writing showing that he was not allowed to explicitly use my name or my pictures or publish. He assured me that he will respect my wishes.”
Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Henckel von Donnersmarck shows understanding
Now, however, he sees himself from the Director deceived: “In reality, he has done everything to connect my name with his Film, and the press helped him to the best of our ability. Fortunately, the major Newspapers have to say in this country, be it in a very sceptical and critical. Nevertheless, he has managed to need my biography miss and distort gross!”
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, was awarded in 2007 for “the lives of Others” the Oscar for the best foreign language Film, “New York” of this reaction, surprised, but also understanding for the artist: “I can understand it a little. If I imagine that someone picks up the story of my life and it is spinning, it would be either very painful, because it is so close to these painful chapters in my life would be, or it wouldn’t be painful because you would be close enough.” Judge story was complex and difficult; Donnersmarck could not blame him really, that he wanted to keep control of it. His conclusion: “Maybe the movie is for everyone except for him.”