The Unanswered Question

As a counterpart to DESCRIPTION D'UN COMBAT I could have selected THE PALESTINIANS, which has a special place in my life. It has some beautiful sequences. But since the subject matter was still risky and full of pitfalls in 1975, it relies rather heavily on the spoken comment. Now, I'd rather show THE UNANSWERED QUESTION, made within the framework of a workshop for young but professional filmmakers. It is the only film in this series for which the camera-work was not done by myself, but still it belongs here. The film consists of two basic components: the music of Charles Ives, 'The unanswered question', from 1907, and a letter written by an old woman who has lost her memory. Between these two elements, which are often repeated, a story like an abyss is built, in which information is progressively reduced. The words become music, the music becomes a rustle, the rustle turns into silence. Johan van der Keuken