Il était une fois Jean-Sébastien Bach

What we have is a docudrama about Bach in French with narration in English, and English subtitles. I found the film to be interesting enough and depicts Bach's world rather well. I really felt transported back to the 18th century. The film sticks to the facts like a good documentary would. No Hollywood crap in this story, which may be why people disliked it, they perhaps want a big budget Hollywood drama about Bach, not a docudrama style of film. Maybe the fact its foreign throws people off? I don't know, I watch so many foreign films they seem normal to me.

There's so much of Bach's music in this film its great. How any Bach fan could not appreciate this film is beyond me, and the acting is fine. I equate bad films with being something I can picture on MST3K, this isn't even close to the same ballpark as those types of films. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but if your a true Bach fan don't let these bad reviews steer you away from this film. Ultimately I rank films by the fact of would i ever want watch it again? And in the case of this film I would.

(By advance, please excuse my bad and too scholastic English) This movie is a perfect example of all that one should not make. The picture is bad: no movement, no perspective. The photograph is bad: runny colours, grainy film. Actor & actress are without expression, without dynamic. NOTA: the superb hairstyle with streak hairs of Anna Magdalena (Like a bimbo girl in `Macumba Club' night dancing in far end of country side during the annual cattle market). Even the music is bad, not in respect with J.S.Bach. Comments with a voice out off picture is monotonous and encourage you to sleep. Dialogs are almost nonexistent and without interest. I don't know if the life of J.S.Bach is very thrilling (according this movie it seems that J.S.B. was a kind of civil servant attached to princes for write one cantata each week !), but his music is in domain of spirituality and it is perfectly concealed/ignored in this movie. Fortunately I suppose that the US audience shall has never the opportunity to see this very bad movie.

When I went to see this film, I didn't thought I was going to see a masterpiece, I expected to see a documentary on JS. Bach. Well, I must say I got it.

I found the actors rather bad (except for a few exceptions), Jean Rochefort (whom I do like) is not as convincing as expected, the quality of the image is rather poor (well, do bear in mind it's a small French film), there's nothing special in the filming itself, and if you don't love music you'll get bored very quickly because of long "concert" scenes. Things have been done rather quickly and even though the costumes are good, all efforts to make the spectator move to the XVIIIth century have not been made, we can even see some cars in the background of a scene!

The worst point of this film is music/image synchronization. It's really obvious that actors are not playing the music (except in one or two scenes). Well, I'm a pianist myself so maybe as a non musician you won't notice anything. But when Bach conducts the orchestra and his beating with his arms is not synchronized with the music, I guess even non musicians could get annoyed.

You can't compare this film to others on the same theme (musicians' biographies) such as "Amadeus" or "Immortal Beloved" (that's on Beethoven), those are films while this one is a documentary. After all, if you're interested in Bach's life and too lazy to read a book about it, then you could go and see it.

To my mind the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is far from a pretty, bucolic romp in the woods; but that's pretty much what we have here. The leads are mostly miscast, gorgeously coiffed, French lookers who display little affinity for the depth or complexity of the composer's work (we never even see Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife and accomplished musician in her own right, play the clavier - though we do see plenty of cleavage). The narrator provides all the necessary biographical information, interpretation and commentary on Bach's life and career. The rest is an insipid but pretty melodrama accompanied by the splendid of music of Herr Bach. If that's all you require, enjoy!

J.S. Bach is my favorite composer and this movie explored his life in a way I never took the time to do myself.

I ran into this movie by accident and it was a pleasant surprise.

I now have a great appreciation of the man behind the music.

It also gives a hint of what it was like for people of his time - a nice period piece.

For example: I didn't even know he had married.

Another example: I didn't know he was incarcerated. Hmm... ex con? That's not really descriptive of his incarceration, but a fun twist on this footnote!

It's a must see for any J.S. Bach fan!