简介：Whatisarevolutionary?ThewritingsofMarxandEngelsbothusethemetaphorofrevolutionasthe"locomotiveofhistory".Is,then,therevolutionaryastandardbearerofprogress,apacesetter,afrontrunner? Noneoftheabove,becauseinaworldruledbyaturbo"devaluation"whereonlythenewhasmarketvalue,wherecommodityproductionspiralsoutofcontrol,the"trainoftime"isadeadlytrend.AlexanderKlugeinsteadoptsforWalterBenjamin'sideaoftherevolutionasmankind"pullingtheemergencybrake".Wemustholdupthetorchofreasontotheproblemsathand,andthetruerevolutionaryisthereforetheonewhocanunitefutureandpast,mergingtwotimes,twosocieties,theartistwhomontagesstoriesandhistory.AndsowecometoAlexanderKlugeandhisart. Kluge'smonumental"NewsfromIdeologicalAntiquity.Marx–Eisenstein–DasKapital"isa570-minutefilmavailableonlyonDVDwhichisbasedontheworkoftwoothermontageartists,JamesJoyceandSergeiEisenstein.Thesetwometin1929todiscussfilmingMarx's"Kapital"whichhadbeenwritten60yearsbeforehand.Now,eightyyearson,AlexanderKlugejoinsthepartyandtakesupwhereEisensteinfailed,becauseneitherHollywood'scapitalistsnorMoscow'sCommunistswerepreparedtosendthenecessaryfundshisway. MostofthefilmconsistsofinvolveddiscussionsbetweenAlexanderKlugeandotherMarx-savvywritersandartists.PoetandessayistHansMagnusEnzensbergercomparesthesoulofmanwiththesoulofmoney,authorDietmarDathexplainsthemeaningofthehammerandsickleontheSovietflagand,fromthestandpointoftheStoics,leaps(ratherthanmarchesatanorderlypace)intoindustrialisation,theactressSophieRoismakesanimpassionedappealforMedea,differentiatingbetweenadditiveandsubtractivelove,filmmakerWernerSchroeterstagesaWagneroperafeaturingthe"rebirthofTristaninthespiritofbattleshipPotemkin",philosopherPeterSloterdijktalksaboutOvidandthemetamorphosisofaddedvalue,amanatthepianoanalysesthescoreofastrikesongwhileworkersandfactoryownersfaceoffinanoperabyLuigiNono,thepoetDürsGrünbeininterpretsBertBrecht'saesthetisationoftheCommunistmanifestoinswingingoceanichexameter,culturalscientistRainerStollmannemphasisesthemyriadmeaningsofMarx'swritingsasscience,art,storytelling,philosophy,poetry.AndsocialtheoristandphilosopherOskarNegtlooksscepticalwhenaskedwhetherit'spossibletofindtherightimagesforallthisstuffwhenyou'relessinterestedinpedagogicalcontentthantheencompassingtheory. Scholarlystuff,wideanddeepinscope,yetboldandplayful.ButevenifyourownstudyofMarxisnomorethanafadedmemory,itishugelyenjoyabletowatchandlistentotheseexpertsastheir"thinkinggraduallydeepensthroughtalking"andtowatchKlugeinterject,hoppingadroitlyfromonethoughttothenext,surprisinghisinterlocutors,catchingthemoffbalance,sendingthemoffonnewtrajectories.WeneverknowhowmuchagreementandvarianceishiddeninKluge'sobjections.HisaSocraticapproachtoquestioning,curious,opentoeverything,andsowonderfullysubtlethatattheendalwaysfindyourselfwonderingwhetherhehadbeendrivingataparticulartargetallalong.AlexanderKlugeisagreatmanipulator,anindustriousloom,whoweavesthemostfar-flungobservationsintohissystem. Heisnotfilming"DasKapital"butresearchinghowonemightfindimagestomakeMarx'sbookfilmable.Thequestisthewayisthedestination.ThemodelforhisunderlyingstructureisJoyce's"Ulysses"wheretheentirehistoryoftheworldispackedintoadayinthelifeofhishero,Bloom.InKluge'shandsthisbecomesacollageofdocumentary,essayisticandfictionalscenes,interviewsandstillphotos,archiveimagesofsmokingfactorychimneys,time-lapsefootageofpoundingmachinesandmountainsofproducts,diaryentriesandblackboardsscribbledwithquotesreferencingconstructivismandconcretepoetry. Coincidences,collisions.BacktobackwithashortfilminwhichdirectorTomTykwerstirsthingsupinaBerlinstreet,tworeadersstruggletorecitethefollowingsentence,slippinginandoutofsynchwithincreasingdesperation:"Wheneverreal,corporealman,manwithhisfeetfirmlyonthesolidground,manexhalingandinhalingalltheforcesofnature,positshisreal,objectiveessentialpowersasalienobjectsbyhisexternalisation,itisnottheactofpositingwhichisthesubjectinthisprocess:itisthesubjectivityofobjectiveessentialpowers,whoseaction,therefore,mustalsobesomethingobjective." Nosoonerareweshown"howthehistoryofindustryandtheestablishedobjectiveexistenceofindustryaretheopenbookofman'sessentialpowers,theperceptiblyexistinghumanpsychology"thanwehavethehistoryofcapitalismisexplainedtousasagiantextensionofthefairytaleaboutthedevilwiththethreegoldenhairs–everythingisahumanbeingbeingcastunderaspell.AndthebeginningofMaeWest'sfilmcareerrunsparalleltotheleapintoindustrialisation–aformofaestheticslapstickinwhichnotcreampiesflythroughtheairbutideasandconcepts. UnlikeEisenstein,whowasdriventodesperationbytheherculeantaskofcuttingthe29hoursof"October"intoa90-minutefilmversionandturnedtodrugsintotheprocesswhichlefthimtemporarilyblind,Klugecoolystickstohisgunsandhisninehours.Andit'snotaminutetoolong. (ThisarticlewasoriginallypublishedinTagesspiegelon8January2009.HelmutMerkerisafilmcritic.)…