Thomas Bernhard - Three Days
A Film by Ferry Radax
Original version with English, French and Spanish subtitles I Germany 1970, 52 min, Concept & Image: Ferry Radax I Cinematography: Michael Wingens (film), Ferry Radax (video) I Sound: Ben Janse, Editing: Ferry Radax I Editorial Journalist: Christhart Burgmann I Executive Producer: Günther Herbertz, Production: IFAGE-Filmproduktion, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
This portrait of the great Austrian writer combines a brilliant monologue delivered by Thomas Bernhard and the artful film work of Ferry Radax. The location chosen for three summer days is a park in Hamburg full of huge old trees. While sitting on a white bench, Bernhard talks about dark childhood memories, his youth, and his struggles with writing. A striking element is his high praise of obstacles as "material for the brain."
Ferry Radax about his film Thomas Bernhard - Three Days
An interview with Ferry Radax by Georg Vogt in 2006
Original version with English subtitles I Austria 2010, 40 min, Moderation: Georg Vogt I Cinematography: Christian Karst I Production, Editing: AUTOCHTHON (Otto Mörth)
In an interview conducted by Georg Vogt, Ferry Radax talks about the work process during the production of the film and how his shooting concept enabled Bernhard to open up and talk about his past for the first time, which later appeared in his autobiographical prose.
(Brigitta Burger-Utzer)
"The original intentions gave way to an experiment whose unknown outcome could only arise from the performative moment created by the interaction of participants and location. Similar to Sonne halt! and Mosaik im Vertrauen before it, this allowed improvisation within an extremely open context to generate a film from the reaction to the situation, from the acknowledgment of what Radax called "what the film called for."
(Georg Vogt)
Total running time: 92 min