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Unguided Tour

director: Susan Sontag

original title: Letter from Venice

country: Italy

year: 1983

running time: 71 min.

synopsis

Venice is a popular tourist spot which Italians from other parts of the country visit perceiving it like a foreign city. Foreigners arrive with an inner admiration, anxiety and impatience. They all share the same desire to be in Venice, to be able to say: “I visited Venice.” The director was inspired by her own text Io, Eccetera; and without doubt, this is her most intimate film. Or to be more precise, we should say that it is a very personal and subjective piece. Even though, we look at a couple staying in Venice, we aren’t sure whether it is a fictional film or documentary. Or is it just an essay? The category isn’t important. It is quite obvious that we look at a trip to Venice and Susan Sontag is our guide. The structure of the film resembles a dance show; its rhythm is a choreography of performances of individual actors, an inner voice and film shots of the antique city. Under the surface – similarly to e.g. Marguerite Duras – we feel a wide range of very personal topics and possible prevalence of contemplations on inner exile.

The screening is free for all visitors and does not require festival accreditation.

biography

Susan Sontag (1933–2004) was an influential American essayist, publicist, writer, director, human rights defender, and female emancipation activist. Her universal activities remain an impressive characteristic of this Renaissance woman of modern history. She became known in 1964 with her text Notes on 'Camp'. Her essays On Photography, Under the Sign of Saturn and Regarding the Pain of Others, and her novel The Volcano Lover were translated into Czech. Her interest in film is present in her entire work.