Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach

Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach is a brilliant portrait of composer Johann Sebastion Bach which is considered a monument for structural cinema. The serene visuals of the film are juxtaposed with the spoken text, drawn from the letters of manuscripts of the composer, revealing a life of poverty and frustration. The film is a music lover's dream: the choral and instrumental selections are magnificently performed by Gustav Leonhardt and musicians on period instruments. The film covers the years of Bach's life from his marriage to Anna Magdalena to his death in 1748. Richard Roud of Sight and Sound said that it is "at once a love story, a documentary, a socio-political statement, and a film of the music of Bach."