a film by Corinna Belz

PETER HANDKE In the woods, might be late

Filmmaker Corinna Belz explores the enigma that is Peter Handke: from the portrait of a young man of the Austrian countryside who wrote his way onto the literary center stage, to his current life at home in the Paris suburbs. For more than five decades, this shy yet often provocative man has devoted himself to writing: prose, essays, novels, plays, screenplays, translations. The rhythm and precision of his language, the long, pulsating sentences, the invention and examination of reality – all elements behind this unmistakable voice in modern literature. At home, Peter Handke shares his passion for mushrooms, needlepoint and pensive walks in his wooded surroundings. Encounters include intense conversations, a huge cache of personal Polaroids from the 70s, and a cosmos of handwritten notebooks...

SYNOPSIS

Peter Handke wrote and directed four films: THE ABSENCE (1992), (DAS MAL DES TODES, 1985), THE LEFT-HANDED WOMAN (DIE LINKS-HÄN DIGE FRAU, 1978) and CHRONICLE OF ON-GOING EVENTS (CHRONIK DER LAUFENDEN EREIGNISSE, 1971). Handke collaborated with Wim Wenders on a film version of his novel THE GOALIE’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (1972), and he wrote the screenplays for Wenders’ WINGS OF DESIRE (DER HIMMEL UBER BERLIN, 1987) and WRONG MOVE (FALSCHE BEWEGUNG, 1975). The unique Wenders-Handke collaboration began with the 1969 short 3 AMERICAN LPS (DREI AMERIKANISCHE LP’S) and continues in 2016 with the upcoming THE BEAUTIFUL DAYS OF ARANJUEZ.

PETER HANDKE & CINEMA

PORTRAYING A WRITER

After the film portrait of Gerhard Richter I wanted to portray a significant writer. For me, a film of this kind is always an examination of the art form in question as a whole, and I felt that Peter Handke, whose work I have long admired, and who has continuously broken new ground in the use of language, would be a fascinating protagonist. Not only because of his oeuvre, but because of his uncompromising individuality and independence. I was intrigued by the trajectory, the fascinating certainty with which, in the early 60s, the young author left the deepest Austrian countryside and took the floor, writing his way onto center stage of the literary world.

READING PETER HANDKE

Long before I ever thought of making films, I wanted to read. In fact, I began to read before I even could. I looked at the spines of books, their colors and titles, or opened a cover and followed the letters in their beautiful, evenly abstract order. How marvelous, later on, to discover the author Peter Handke. Here was a writer who could make the light between stalks on a harvested field appear in his sentences so vividly I would rub my eyes in wonder; could portray the iciness in personal relationships, the imperilment of the self, with chilling precision, but could also warm the world with his language like virtually no other.

THE RIGHT MEDIUM

I had travelled to Salzburg to see a production of his then-latest play Immer noch Sturm (Still Storm). I then approached his publisher and also wrote a letter to Mr. Handke. He replied, agreeing to let me visit him in Paris. The initial visit was followed by several over the course of almost a year, in which we got to know each other and discussed the project. I never “pitched” him my project. At some point Peter Handke saw the Richter film with his daughter in Berlin, and he decided to green light the project. Mr. Handke had reservations about film as a medium to explore the non-visual work of a writer: he insisted that the process demands isolation. “What will you depict?” I always belived in the project and that we would find the right visual language. Our continued exchange established the basis to just keep working. Neither one of us stipulated any particular conditions.

RESEARCH

For me it is an absolute necessity to immerse myself in the material – a period of research that is time-consuming, and in this case it involved reading and/or rereading almost all of Handke’s works (over 60 books, essays, etc. as well as peripheral documentation). This is not necessarily visible or quoted in the final film. Rather, the sum total of this input is then a deep and rich source that informs the entire process: this is where the ideas come from; this is what I ultimately rely on. All of this background study, of course, also gives me a detailed understanding of the work, its context, and the artist behind it.

AN UNCENSORED COSMOS

I spent time in the National Library in Vienna, where the Polaroids taken by Peter Handke are on permanent loan. These not only give a record of himself and his family life of the time, but also express the sense of pleasure he had in taking the pictures, and his strong visual sense in general, which is also reflected, in a very dense form, in his literature. I also researched in the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, which has his

COMMENTS FROM FILMMAKER CORINNA BELZ

notebooks from the 70s to the 90s. These records are a compilation of notes on his travels, his insights, impressions, ideas, moods, various books he read, dreams, drafts of work, etc., which form an incredible, uncensored cosmos reflecting his life and work. So much of it was graphically striking and aesthetically unique that they became visual elements in the film. I was especially fond of his handwritten notebooks. Handke started writing by hand a lot because of his extensive travelling. His handwriting also has a strong impact on the specific and unique rhythm of his prose. I used his handwriting and drawings in the film as a reflection of his inspirations and his sensitive approach to reality.

FILMING

I shot the film intermittently over a period of about three years. We only ever shot a maximum of five to six hours in a day, so as not to intrude on the time Mr. Handke needs in isolation for his work. We had to remain flexible, as Mr. Handke does not like to make firm plans in advance. He has no personal assistant or secretary, so all scheduling had to be done with him directly by phone. Because of the strong presence of nature in Mr. Handke’s

work it was my wish to have all four seasons represented on film. The main location was Peter Handke’s home near Paris. We also shot at the house he shares with his wife, actress Sophie Semin, in the Picardy region, northeast of Paris. We also accompanied Mr. Handke on several trips, but not all of them are included in the film. Most of the locations while travelling were suggested by Mr. Handke himself. The initial “crew” consisted of my camerawoman Nina Weseman (my daughter) and myself. Later two other cameramen joined the project because of the shooting schedule, but we were never more than a crew of four.

STILL STORM

When he does not feel intruded upon, Mr. Handke is one of the most attentive hosts I’ve ever met. When we arrived for the first shoot, Mr. Handke seemed to feel at ease with the situation from the start. He was utterly accepting us, althought we must have seemed like a rather unconventional film crew - myself and my daughter. That was a pleasant surprise, along with his generous hospitality. We were often treated to a table of homemade culinary delights (famous Handke-made mushroom

soup with bits of the forest floor left in). I remain fascinated by how he lives his life with such clear self-determination, only as he wishes. The title of his recent play ‘Still Storm’, is a good description of the man. He is very focused on his interests and dedicated to writing, reading and walking – he likes to spend several hours a day on foot in the woods and uses mostly public transport.

WRITING COMES FIRST

Timidity is a defining feature of his character, this was, of course, a challenge for shooting the film – for Mr.Handke as well as for us. We had to accept this as a fact. He was able to overcome the shyness sometimes better than others. Sometimes one felt like an unwelcome intruder. Compared to the intrusion into his work process that he would normally accept/allow, he was exceptionally generous with us. But writing comes first for Peter Handke. I wanted to stress the beauty of his language. It was crucial to hear his voice reading from his own work. This is different than a standard studio recording of him. I wanted the viewer to become a “reader”, to feel that same excitement like when reading a good book. That’s a feeling of something like coming home for me, and at the same time like discovering a world where I’ve never been.

IN CONVERSATION

Conversing, however, is no easy matter, so precious yet precarious is the terrain. No surprise then that my questions, too, were critically appraised. Trial and error, then try, try again. I often came to film with questions or certain topics in mind. In conversation, however, my choice of words or formulations would then sometimes illicit sharp criticism, because of Mr. Handke’s extremely precise and sensitive use of language. For example: he doesn’t like the word “work”. For the word “to write”, in German, he uses the word “to do”. This constant cross-examination could be so unnerving, that I had to keep my wits about me to keep from becoming tongue-tied.

CONTRADICTIONS AND INDEPENDENCE

In general, Peter Handke has unending attentiveness. He is also someone who unites strong contradictions within himself. The tension bet ween patience and impatience is a constant theme. This is evident in the scene on the sofa when he shows his impatience with my question (about his choice of fictional characters when writing). But he gives a considered answer nonetheless. In the past, he has been publicly unapologetic about taking an unpopular stance. His outspoken sympathy for the Serbian cause in the war in Yugoslavia is well known. In the film Mr. Handke himself speaks about the matter and also his wife Sophie Semin refers to this long-lasting debate full of insults and misunderstandings but she does it in an empathic moderated way like a messenger in an ancient theatre play, who reports the battle that had taken place. This conflict with the media is first of all an example of Mr. Handke’s rigorous intellectual independence.

Amina Handke

A SORROW BEYOND DREAMS

Though Peter Handke lives alone he is, in fact, a dedicated family man. It was his own suggestion to include his wife and two daughters in the film. I then discovered that the women in his immediate family made very interesting contributions. His mother, who took her own life in 1971, is the subject of one of his most significant and successful works (A Sorrow Beyond Dreams - Wunschloses Unglück, 1972). Mr. Handke reads from parts of the book in the film. His mother’s family also appears in many of his works, so she is quite present in her absence, which is also depict in the film.

WIM WENDERS

In the film world, Peter Handke is well known for his collaboration with director Wim Wenders. I considered shooting a meeting of the two friends, but because of the rigors of scheduling and locations, it simply never worked out. Ultimately I decided on representing this key relationship with film clips, which I think express the heart of their collaboration.

APPROACHES

I see the two films PETER HANDKE: IN THE WOODS, MIGHT BE LATE and GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING as part of a larger project exploring several major art forms – painting, literature, film, music and architecture. I think there are basic similar approaches in my work: the extensive research period beforehand and no strict concept set down from the start. Most importantly, I try to keep my openness to let things happen. No strangleholds. Time is also an important factor. People, especially artists of this caliber, can’t be forced or rushed. Openness also in terms of being attentive to the proposals and impulses of the protagonists, and openness to the element of chance. Later on in the editing suite there’s another important concept – cutting away, letting go. Handke refers to this technique of leaving things out. What you choose not to put in is also crucial. He has a nice term for this in German: “Weglassarbeit” (“the leaving-out-work”).

CORINNA BELZ

CREDITS

Corinna Belz studied philosophy, art history and media sciences in Cologne, Zurich and Berlin. She has written, directed and produced numerous TV and feature films, including: LIFE AFTER MICROSOFT (2001), OTHER AMERICAN VOICES (2002, nominated for the Grimme-Preis, and awarded the Filmpreis des Deutschen Anwaltvereins) and DREI WÜNSCHE (2005).

Her first film about Gerhard Richter’s work, DAS KÖLNER DOMFENSTER (2007), won the World Media Gold Award – Art Documentaries. Her feature documentary, GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING (2011), won the LOLA, the top German film award. An enthusiastic international reception included appearences in 68 US cities, with a nine week run at the Film Forum, NYC. Corinna Belz lives in Cologne.

Written and Directed by Corinna Belz Editing Stephan Krumbiegel Image Nina Wesemann Axel Schneppat Piotr Rosolowski Sound & Sound Design Andreas Hildebrandt Recording Mixer Martin Steyer Colorist Gregor Pfüller Animation & Title Design Jutojo / Toby Cornish Line Producer Tassilo Aschauer Commissioning Editor Simone Reuter Produced by Thomas Kufus with the participation of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, BKM, DFFF, Media, SWR

Photos and diary notes courtesy of:Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, Cordula Lebeck,

Literaturarchiv der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek and Peter Handke

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Filmmaker Corinna Belz explores the enigma that is acclaimed writer Peter Handke: from the portrait of a young man of the Austrian countryside who wrote his way onto the literary center stage, to his current life at home in the Paris suburbs... An intimate portrait of a literary luminary from the award-winning director of GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING.

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