Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World (1985)
Lamentations: A Monument to the Dead World belongs to a 35-hour film cycle, The Book of All the Dead, which comprises the bulk of Toronto-based Bruce Elder’s filmmaking from 1975 to 1994. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Book of the Dead consisted of religious texts intended to help preserve the spirit of the departed in the afterlife — but in Elder’s reading, that comforting idea of continuity takes on a rather darker cast. Lamentations is comprised of a complex audio and visual patchwork: a philosophical meditation superimposed as text throughout the film; vignettes featuring a comical but disturbing Franz Liszt, a debate between Isaac Newton and George Berkeley, an angry, deranged man in an alley, and an arrogant psychiatrist; and a final search for salvation in the forests of British Columbia, the American Southwest, and Mexico’s Yucatan.
Cast
- Robert Fothergill - Narrator (voice)
- Kristina Jones - Narrator (voice)
- David King - Isaac Newton
- James D. Smith - Franz Liszt
- Tony Wolfson - Bishop Berkeley
- Murray Pomerance - Psychiatrist
- Bart Testa - Lecturer
Screenplay
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World about?
- Lamentations: A Monument to the Dead World belongs to a 35-hour film cycle, The Book of All the Dead, which comprises the bulk of Toronto-based Bruce Elder’s filmmaking from 1975 to 1994. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Book of the Dead consisted of religious texts intended to help preserve the spirit of the departed in the afterlife — but in Elder’s reading, that comforting idea of continuity takes on a rather darker cast. Lamentations is comprised of a complex audio and visual patchwork: a philosophical meditation superimposed as text throughout the film; vignettes featuring a comical but disturbing Franz Liszt, a debate between Isaac Newton and George Berkeley, an angry, deranged man in an alley, and an arrogant psychiatrist; and a final search for salvation in the forests of British Columbia, the American Southwest, and Mexico’s Yucatan.
- Who directed Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World?
- Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World was directed by R. Bruce Elder.
- Who stars in Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World?
- Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World stars Robert Fothergill, Kristina Jones, David King, James D. Smith, Tony Wolfson, Murray Pomerance.
- How long is Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World?
- Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World has a runtime of 7h 17m (437 minutes).
- What genre is Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World?
- Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World is a Documentary film.
- Where was Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World produced?
- Lamentations: A Monument for the Dead World was produced in Canada.