Educational Media Reviews Online

Peter Watkins has been rather bitter over the years about the reception his work, The Freethinker, (1994) has received. Essentially, Watkins posits that his film has been banned or refused broadcast on television stations around the world. This 4 ½ hour film (divided into 3 parts) is about Swedish dramatist August Strindberg (1849-1912), probably best known for his play, Miss Julie. It has a rather complex structure which requires absolute audience attention and participation in the reading of the filmic text. The film is absolutely not a PBS-type documentary. It requires commitment and participation on the part of the viewer. Watkins’ website provides ample information about his political stance and statements about his views of media and culture. The booklet provided with the DVD also imparts some of Watkins’ intentions about the production of the film.

Many of the ideas in The Freethinker parallel the concepts found in Stindberg’s plays, particularly in finding a place for ordinary people within the hierarchical societal structures of his day. Additionally, the portrayal of Siri von Essen, Strinberg’s first wife, and her place in the narrative emphasizes the struggles of women in that period in a society dominated by the power of men.

Watkins writes, “There have been two principal aims to my work: a) to highlight the need for more complex narrative forms (…) and b) to help create more democratic media processes for society.” He achieves these goals in the making of the film. Over the course of two years Watkins worked with 24 Swedish high school students: they raised money, worked on costumes, were involved in the production as videographers, recorded sound, directed, acted and edited the production. Other contemporary artists, like Richard Foreman, the Founder & Artistic Director, Ontological-Hysteric Theater in New York, has been involved in working with students for a number of years in the production of his plays. This didactic-collaborative approach is one where the outcome appears to break traditional boundaries and challenges, whether in theatre or cinema or increasingly multi-media. It is thus fitting that the works of Peter Watkins are finally readily available on DVD. His films had been rather inaccessible in the past. He would describe the situation as being marginalized and banned. Scholars and individuals with concerns about having the opportunity to hear a variety of critical voices will now be able to. The Freethinker is recommended for areas in media education and film studies.