Viewed together, the notes on blindness feature film and virtual reality experience illuminate cinemas greatest advantage over evolving technological mediums. Hull, who became totally blind after decades of steadily deteriorating vision. Nov 23, 2016 dear cinephiles, notes on blindness is like no other film youre likely to see this year. The debut fulllength documentary from directors peter middleton and james spinney, it may seem complicated in its assembly, but has a final impact that is luminously simple. The plot of blindness follows the onsetand the falloutof a highly contagious epidemic that causes people to go completely blind. This film is a dramatization that uses his original recordings. Though it is novel, and hints at further experiments vr authors might do along these lines, notes on blindness is more than sufficient to prove that sightlessness, however unwelcome, is a richer. An official selection of the 2014 sundance film festival.
Hull, began recording his thoughts and experiences of sightloss. The film was written by don mckellar and directed by fernando meirelles, with julianne moore and mark ruffalo as the main characters. He recorded the books he had to read to remain active as a teacher. Chasing chaplin comes from peter middleton and james spinney, who are threetime bafta nominees for notes on blindness. Hulls story is pulled directly from audio diaries he began recording in the 1980s to help him cope with his new reality, as well as from interviews that were recorded with him and his wife, marilyn, by filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney when they worked with hull on a short film project in 2010. Into darkness is an immersive virtual reality vr project. Comedy duo thomas middleditch and ben schwartz turn small ideas into epically funny stories in this series of completely improvised comedy specials. Building upon their 2014 emmy awardwinning short film, middleton and spinney have created an utterly immersive feature worthy of hulls. One of the great values of documentary films is their ability to give viewers a glimpse into worlds and lives different from their own. Devastating, beautiful and reassuring, notes on blindness is a moving and inspiring film about a young father losing his sight by libby purves for the daily mail.
For the next three years, he kept a diary on audiocassette of his interior world of blindness. After the writer and theologian john hull became completely blind in 1983, he kept an audio diary of his experience. Nov 18, 2016 john hull, whose writings were praised by oliver sacks, shares what it feels like to lose his sight in peter middleton and james spinneys doc, notes on blindness. Sometimes blindness becomes a catalyst for true sight. The notes on blindness vr app was introduced alongside the feature film s premiere at the sundance film festival. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life. John hull 19352015 was born in australia, the son of a methodist minister. Find the audio described version of the films trailer here password.
In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. I would like to see it again myself, but this time in the version i can share with several of my relatives whose vision is no longer present. Notes on blindness 2016 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Then came the emmy awardwinning short documentary entitled notes on blindness 2014, which screened at the sundance festival and won best documentary at the encounters short film and animation festival.
After becoming completely blind in his mid40s, respected professor of theology, john m. Notes on blindness 2016 directed by pete middleton. Nevertheless, this humanist salvation story does have some resonant. At first, hull wrestled against the signs of his blindness even until he was totally blind.
Their experimental feature debut is also entitled notes on blindness. Blindness is a 2008 englishlanguage thriller film and an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by portuguese author jose saramago about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. Notes on blindness 2016 directed by pete middleton, james. The standard version is the original film soundtrack with no extra description or sound effects. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. John m hull is a theologian and writer who lost his sight in his prime around the birth of his first son. I have now become a whole body seer, says the late religious scholar john hull in notes on blindness, the documentary film that brings to life hulls painstaking study of his own blindness. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the documentary form. The blindness that people had experienced was described as being white not black. It traces one mans difficult journey and emerges with a reflection on the human condition thats as uplifting and edifying as it is simply moving. At times, it seems that we all have some shared cinematic values that some art can reach us all. Notes on blindness has won several awards since its sundance film festival premiere. Blindness did the doctors wife actually go blind at the. The audiodescribed version uses a spoken description to relate whats happening outside of the dialogue.
Though the fear that the films walking dead can turn violent at any second is completely unjustified, the writerdirector allows this paranoia to reflect the feelings of loss, disassociation, and hopelessness that cripple the living. He settled down in england and became a professor of religious studies at the university of birmingham. Notes on blindness touching story of blind birmingham. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, john hull became totally blind. Jul 01, 2016 directed by peter middleton, james spinney. Notes on blindness is a 2016 documentary film written and directed by pete middleton and james spinney. Notes on blindness is an extraordinary film that wears its original genius lightly. Altitude film sales is handling international rights and will be at cannes to show the first footage to buyers.
Into darkness is available for anyone to see for free in. The first of these, rainfall, won the best short documentary award at hot docs 20 and was nominated for the ica experimental film award. Notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to. Notes on blindness is a new documentary created by peter middleton and james spinney, based on the awardwinning short film of the same topic. Hull, marilyn hull, miranda beinartsmith, jamie bradley. The first chapter opens on a traffic jam caused by a man whos gone suddenly blind. This channel was generated automatically by youtube s. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Denatured, sometimes overexposed, sometimes too shadowy to see, it is an. It won the best documentary at the british independent film awards and was nominated for 3 baftas including best documentary and outstanding british film. But i couldnt fully abide by the rules notes on blindness played by, though i suspect i may be in the minority here. Notes on blindness opened in us theaters on 16th november 2016 find your local screening here the film was released in the uk on 1st july and is still playing in a handful of cinemas. Hulls memoir, subtly evokes sightlessness with figures in silhouette. Notes on blindness traces one mans difficult journey and emerges with a reflection on the human condition thats as uplifting and edifying as it is simply.
A picture of john hull and wife marilyn taken a few years after the period of the film image. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious. So its a direct reference to her suffering the condition. Pioneering documentarian john grierson defined documentary form as the creative treatment of actuality, and the remarkable new film notes on blindness fully reflects the creative way. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the. In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian john hull became totally blind. Nov 16, 2016 notes on blindness has won several awards since its sundance film festival premiere.
In 1983, after years of deteriorating vision, the writer and theologian john hull lost the last traces of light sensation. A journey into the world of blindness, the film, using. Jun 23, 2016 a picture of john hull and wife marilyn taken a few years after the period of the film image. Dec 14, 2016 notes on blindness vr experience credit.
Sure, we usually sacrifice depth in the process, but thats a small enough occasional price for the joy of laughing with a crowd. This allegorical disaster film about societys reaction to mass blindness is mottled and selfsatisfied. Saramago originally refused to sell the rights for a film adaptation. The directors produce their own films and attempt to instill in them a. Dear cinephiles, notes on blindness is like no other film youre likely to see this year. Blindness is one of the most unpleasant, not to say unendurable, films ive ever seen. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. One of john hulls original tape recorders, in a still from the film. Adventurous and intimate and unworried by the wall dividing fiction and nonfiction, peter middletons and james spinneys debut, notes on blindness, is a wondrous film, a thing of magic and a.
Jan 16, 2014 an official selection of the 2014 sundance film festival. When saramago won the nobel prize for literature in 1998, blindness was listed as one of his qualifying works. Sometimes you have to get lost before you can find yourself. Start an into film club or log in to rate this film synopsis having lost his sight in 1983, just before the birth of his son, theologian john hull began recording his experiences of blindness on a tape recorder. Jul 21, 2016 notes on notes on blindness still image from trailer featuring dan skinner as john hull and his childs hands, taking his glasses off. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative. It is an allegory about a group of people who survive under great stress, but frankly i would rather have seen them perish than sit through the final threequarters of the film.
Upon their publication in 1990, oliver sacks described the work as the. Notes on blindness discussion guide influence film club. Notes on blindness 2016 tvpg 1h 26m biographical documentaries based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. Directed by peter middleton and james spinney, notes on blindness is a short but powerful interpretation of john m. Both sighted, spinney and middleton are attempting to convey hulls experience of losing vision via a visual medium. The blindness of the novel operates in this same allegorical vein, using blindness as a metaphor for ignorance. Notes on blindness, a documentary based on the theologian john m. After losing sight in 1983, john hull began keeping an audio diary, a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating the interior world of blindness.
Notes on blindness is a feature film and multiplatform interactive project based on the audio diaries of writer and academic john hull, who after decades of steady deterioration became totally blind in 1983. To promote the feature film notes on blindness, francogerman tv network arte has released an impressive virtual reality vr experience called notes on. Hulls lifelong affair with blindness, based on hulls cassette diaries. It was the first time the recording had been played for almost 25 years. Based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. Then hull came across many other recordings from his family, including imogens weather reports, the trip to australia, and marilyns words. Notes on blindness offers powerful insight on emotion.
The fear of losing ones sight is perfectly captured in an inspiring docudrama about author and. Notes on blindness is available with three soundtrack options. Notes on blindness traces one mans difficult journey and emerges with a reflection. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on. Notes on blindness is a 2016 british documentary film directed by peter middleton and james spinney.
Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the. I n 1983, at the age of 45 and after years of failing sight, theologian john hull went completely blind. This film is a dramatization using those recordings. Both the film and an accompanying virtual reality experience by filmmakers james spinney and peter middleton are the winners of the 2017 essay prize. This was followed in 2014 by the emmy awardwinning short, also entitled notes on blindness, which screened at sundance film festival and won best documentary at encounters short film and animation festival. In 1983, at the age of 45 and after years of failing sight, theologian john hull went completely blind.
Atlantis premiered last year at the venice film festival and was slated. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the world. In 1983, he went completely blind and by september of that year. Notes on blindness is a moving and inspiring film about a. Without the pathos of a narrative or a character to care about, the vr experience produces a cerebral effect, scientific or.
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