Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. Then came the emmy awardwinning short documentary entitled notes on blindness 2014, which screened at the sundance festival and won best documentary at the encounters short film and animation festival. In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian john hull became totally blind. An account of the life of academic, john hull, after he becomes blind. The fear of losing ones sight is perfectly captured in an inspiring docudrama about author and. The most precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness i have ever read. The film was released in the uk on 1st july and is still playing in a handful of cinemas. Into darkness, is a sixpart interactive nonfiction project, which uses new forms of storytelling, gameplay mechanics and virtual reality to offer a sensory and psychological journey into a world beyond sight. After losing his sight, john hull knew that if he did not try to understand blindness it would destroy him. Notes on blindness offers powerful insight on emotion, spirituality. I led a perfectly normal life until downton abbey bfi duration. The first of these, rainfall, won the best short documentary award at hot docs 20 and was nominated for the ica experimental film award. In 1983, he went completely blind and by september of that year.
Hull, marilyn hull, miranda beinartsmith, jamie bradley. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. An unprecedented film explores the world beyond sight british theologian john hull recorded audio diaries to document his transition from grief to grace.
Nov 23, 2016 notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to light by stephen holden the new york times. Jun 29, 2016 a touching and insightful film, notes on blindness provides a personal examination of what it is like to go blind. The pair were given access to a personal archive of the silentmovie star that includes previously unknown material and also have newly unearthed audio recordings. I would like to see it again myself, but this time in the version i can share with several of my relatives whose vision is no longer present. Viewed together, the notes on blindness feature film and virtual reality experience illuminate cinemas greatest advantage over evolving technological mediums. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the documentary form. Hull, began recording his thoughts and experiences of sightloss. Notes on blindness is an extraordinary film that wears its original genius lightly. Notes on blindness, a documentary based on the theologian john m. Now theyve become an awardwinning film designed for all levels of sightedness. Notes on blindness opened in us theaters on 16th november 2016 find your local screening here. Notes on blindness is a beautiful exploration of darkness. Even though he had seen it coming for a long time, it hits him hard. This was followed in 2014 by the emmy awardwinning short, also entitled notes on blindness, which screened at sundance film festival and won best documentary at encounters short film and animation festival.
Notes on blindness traces one mans difficult journey and emerges with a reflection on the human condition thats as uplifting and edifying as it is simply. Written and directed by pete middleton and james spinney starring dan renton skinner, simone kirby, john hull, marilyn. Their experimental feature debut is also entitled notes on blindness. Blindness films beautiful and accessible story bbc news. An experience of blindness, already the basis of an emmywinning short film, has now been used by british filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney to. The pair were given access to a personal archive of the silent movie star that includes previously unknown material and also have newly unearthed audio recordings. Its an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative and one. Notes on blindness opened in us theaters on 16th november 2016 find your local screening here the film was released in the uk on 1st july and is still playing in a handful of cinemas. Notes on blindness 2016 directed by peter middleton, james spinney framing reality over three years, writer and theologian john hull kept a series of audio diaries recounting his experience after losing his eyesight. Notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to light notes on blindness, a documentary based on the theologian john m. Based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness.
Notes on blindness recreates hulls fascinating and deeply moving experiences through an immersive hybrid of documentary. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative. The first of these, rainfall, received best short documentary from the hot docs festival in 20 and was nominated for an ica experimental film award. He settled down in england and became a professor of religious studies at the university of birmingham. A journey into the world of blindness, the film, using mostly his words, describes with extraordinary eloquence, precision and poetic sensitivity his physical. Notes on blindness codirectors peter middleton and james spinney are teaming up again for chaplin working title, a feature documentary about one of cinemas most iconic individuals. Notes on blindness peter middleton and james spinney january 16, 2014 after the writer and theologian john hull became completely blind in. While the feature film is marked by its lush, expressive cinematography, the vr project is an attempt to navigate the experience of blindness. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the. Lipsyncing his voice from the tapes to reenacted scenes of his daytoday life and staging the vivid dreams he began to have, the filmmakers have created an absorbing documentary that explores a. Notes on blindness, is a wondrous film, a thing of magic and a deeply human document. Sensitive, poetic and thoughtprovoking, the film charts hulls journey through. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost.
The complementary vr experience, notes on blindness. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on. The notes on blindness vr app was introduced alongside the feature films premiere at the sundance film festival. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Mike brett after the writer and theologian john hull became completely blind in 1983, he kept a diary, on audiocassette, in order to try to make sense of the. Notes on blindness offers powerful insight on emotion. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the world. December 12, 2016 sighted viewers should be thankful enough. Notes on blindness 2016 notes on blindness, backed by the bfi film fund, is in cinemas and on bfi player from 1 july 2016 when writer and academic john hull went blind in 1983, just before the birth of his son, he grabbed a tape recorder and began to make an audio diary of what was happening to him. Drawing on johns original recordings, notes on blindness premiered at the 2016 sundance film festival and won the special jury prize at the san francisco international film festival. Notes on blindness uses vr to tell a story of life without.
Notes on blindness 2016 new zealand international film festival. Notes on blindness 1 jul 2016 23 jul 2016 to try to make sense of how this would affect the rest of his life with his new wife, marilyn, and their newborn son, john began an audio diary. Through johns wordsi am concerned to understand blindness, to seek its meaning to retain the fullness of my humanitywe hear him question eloquently the nature. Dear cinephiles, notes on blindness is like no other film youre likely to see this year. The project has garnered widespread critical acclaim, premiering as part of the new frontier strand at the 2016 sundance film.
Without the pathos of a narrative or a character to care about, the vr experience produces a. In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and theologian john hull went blind. When john hull became totally blind after years of steady deterioration. After becoming completely blind in his mid40s, respected professor of theology, john m. In that vein, notes on blindness is a brilliant example of just how this technology can expand our senses and awareness of concepts that, for most of us, are completely foreign. John hull 19352015 was born in australia, the son of a methodist minister. Pioneering documentarian john grierson defined documentary form as the creative treatment of actuality, and the remarkable new film notes on blindness fully reflects the creative way. Notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to. Upon their publication in 1990, oliver sacks described the work as the. And though i have a decent amount of sight in my good eye, i fully understood hulls initial unwillingness to accept his new condition. Hull, a professor of religion at the university of. In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer, theologian and professor of religion at the university of birmingham john hull went blind.
Viewed together, the notes on blindness feature film and virtual reality experience illuminate cinemas greatest advantage. Notes on blindness is a new documentary created by peter middleton and james spinney, based on the awardwinning short film of the same topic. Building upon their 2014 emmy awardwinning short film, middleton and spinney have created an utterly immersive feature worthy of hulls. It traces one mans difficult journey and emerges with a reflection on the human condition thats as uplifting and edifying as it is simply moving. The feature film received its world premiere at the sundance film festival new frontiers section, where it played alongside a companion virtual reality experience, notes on blindness. Notes on blindness will be presented as a case study by mike brett producer of the critically acclaimed feature film notes on blindness directed by james spinney and peter middleton. Notes on blindness is a 2016 british documentary film directed by peter middleton and james spinney. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative and one of the most essential british documentaries of the year.
But the central conceit of notes on blindness is to emulate hulls descent into blindness using visuals. Hull, who became totally blind after decades of steadily deteriorating vision. We hear him desperately trying to cling to the visible world, while in the meantime he is portrayed by an actor. Nov 24, 2016 pioneering documentarian john grierson defined documentary form as the creative treatment of actuality, and the remarkable new film notes on blindness fully reflects the creative way. Nov 16, 2016 notes on blindness has won several awards since its sundance film festival premiere.
Notes on blindness is a vivid account of a man losing his sight and also conscious about the importance of living in the reality and not in nostalgia. The debut fulllength documentary from directors peter middleton and james spinney, it may seem complicated in its assembly, but has a final impact that is luminously simple. Jul 01, 2016 directed by peter middleton, james spinney. For this longer, more intimate documentary, they used actors dan skinner and. Though unquestionably proficient and articulate in its intent to dramatise the practical and ethical traumas of blindness, peter middleton and james spinneys docudrama is almost a little too mainstream in its sensibility, and could. Following the emmy award winning short film of the same name, notes on blindness painstakingly recreates hulls life from the early 1980s as well as articulating his. The 16 hours of spoken text he dictates over a period of three years is later adapted to a book and forms the basis for notes on blindness.
Having lost his sight in 1983, just before the birth of his son, theologian john hull began recording his experiences of blindness on a tape recorder. When directors pete middleton and james spinney do clever things like keeping bits of information and action offscreen while we hear hulls frustration over having to ask for descriptions of whats happening, the film achieves its goal. The debutant british directors peter middleton and james spinney first pitched the film four years ago, after reading the memories of john hull. To keep his head above water, hull starts an audio diary. To help him make sense of the ensuing upheaval in his life, he began to keep an audio diary.
Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious. Hull, a professor of religion at the university of birmingham in england, lost his eyesight and began the agonizing personal journey to hell and back that he describes in the magnificent documentary notes on blindness. Impressive visualisation of the audio diaries of john hull, a writer and theologian who slowly went blind over a period of thirty years. The project, backed by the british film institute and film4, comes from peter middleton and james spinney, who were baftanominated for their innovative doc notes on blindness. To promote the feature film notes on blindness, francogerman tv network arte has released an impressive virtual reality vr experience called notes on blindness. Jan 16, 2014 notes on blindness peter middleton and james spinney january 16, 2014 after the writer and theologian john hull became completely blind in 1983, he kept an audio diary of his experience. In the early 1980s, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and academic john hull lost his sight. Theres so much in the diaries, said spinney, that we felt like we needed to find other mediums.
The directors produce their own films and attempt to instill in them a. Mike brett of uk outfit archers mark, a producer on notes on blindness, will produce chaplin with ben limberg of smaller biggie and john battsek of passion. After losing sight in 1983, john hull began keeping an audio diary, a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating the interior world of blindness. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, hull began documenting his experiences on audio cassette and wrote his autobiography touching the rock. Notes on blindness 2016 letterboxd your life in film. The film notes on blindness uses those recordings lipsynched by professional actors to recreate john hulls experience in one of the most poignant films to date in 2016. The remarkable new film notes on blindness fully reflects the creative way to tackle nonfiction storytelling. Though unquestionably proficient and articulate in its intent to dramatise the practical and ethical traumas of blindness, peter middleton and james spinneys docudrama is almost a little too mainstream in its sensibility, and. The genius of the film is in allowing us to understand and visualize the world of blindness a beautiful, accessible and thoughtful work of art. Notes on blindness is a beautiful example of how cinema can. Notes on blindness 2016 in 1983, when writer john hull goes blind just before the birth of his son, he starts making a diary on audio cassette to make sense of all the changes. This film meanders in the terrain vague between documentary and fiction. It has been supported by creative england, british film institute, impact partners, arte france, swedish film institute, bbc storyville, cinereach, britdoc, new york times and. Nonton film notes on blindness 2016 indoxxi cinema indoxx1.
Notes on blindness is a documentary directed by pete middleton, james spinney. Notes on blindness 2016 tvpg 1h 26m biographical documentaries based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. If blindness was a lifetime sentence, at least hull would not serve it alone. Excerpts from those tapes, interspersed with more recent interviews with john and his wife, marilyn, make up most of the soundtrack of notes on blindness but it would be wrong to call this a documentary. With notes on blindness, you can use the gear vr to experience life beyond sight. When the australianborn theologian and university lecturer john hull went blind in the early 1980s after decades of struggling with his sight, he started recording audio diaries. Following the emmy award winning short film of the same name, notes on blindness painstakingly recreates hulls life. The app was created and produced by arte france, ex. Then came the emmy awardwinning short documentary entitled notes on blindness 2014, which screened at the sundance festival and won best documentary at the encounters short film and animation. Following the emmy award winning short film of the same name, notes on blindness painstakingly recreates hulls.
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