Educational Media Reviews Online

John Berger is an art critic, Booker Prize-winning novelist, painter, and poet. He was born in England, but has lived in Quincy in the French Alps for many years, and has written screenplays for French films. Tilda Swinton is an actress who first gained recognition for her work in the films of British directors Derek Jarman and Sally Potter. While continuing to work in European films, Swinton has also been in a number of important Hollywood productions, and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Michael Clayton. Berger and Swinton were both born in London on November 5th, 34 years apart. They have known each other for over 20 years.

The Season in Quincy looks at Berger’s life and views through four short films that make up the documentary. Ways of Listening, directed by Colin McCabe, shows Swinton visiting Berger at his home in France, where he discusses growing up with a father who was a World War I veteran but who never talked about his wartime experience. Swinton mentions her father was a World War II veteran who similarly never discussed his time in the service, and also reads a Berger poem on war. Swinton says Berger’s book on art, Ways of Seeing (1972), was an early influence on her.

The second short film, Spring, is directed by Christopher Rich. Images of animals and farming practices are juxtaposed with Berger’s writings on animals, and the relationship of animals to humans.

The third segment is A Song for Politics, directed by Bartek Dziadosz and Colin McCabe. Berger joins writers Ben Lerner and Akshi Singh in a make-believe television panel show discussing politics and the need for activism. The title comes from Berger’s statement that “The truth is most easily told in song.” Berger and Swinton’s birthday of November 5 happens to be Guy Fawkes Day, commemorating the day Fawkes was arrested for attempting to blow up the English Parliament.

The final segment is Harvest and is directed by Swinton. Here she brings her children Xavier and Honor to talk with Berger, and Berger’s son Yves joins in the discussion on country life and the nature of the seasons.

This is more an impressionistic portrait of Berger than a primer on his writings, but you do get a feel for the man and his beliefs. Its poetic approach provides an interesting counterpoint to the more conventional approach you might see in a television documentary. This video is recommended for libraries with large collections in literature and film studies.