Theres more to look forward to in march than just mardi gras, st. In 1983, author, teacher and theologian john hull 19352015 went blind after years of declining vision. 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 novel follows the misfortunes of a handful of characters who are among the first to be stricken and centers on the doctors wife, her husband, several of his patients, and. It is often said that the loss of sight can lead to a heightened acuity in the other senses. Written and directed by pete middleton and james spinney starring dan renton skinner, simone kirby, john hull, marilyn hull. 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. He also had not had time to see the face of his son lizzie and 2 children last born after his blindness. Hull, who became totally blind after decades of steadily deteriorating vision. Nomads and notes on blindness, plus more, debut on gear vr. Notes on blindness after losing sight, john hull knew that if he did not try to understand blindness it would destroy him. Notes on blindness opened in us theaters on 16th november 2016 find your local screening here. In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and theologian john hull went blind. This film is a dramatization using those recordings.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian john hull became totally blind. Hull, marilyn hull, miranda beinartsmith, jamie bradley. 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. An experience of blindness, which was transcribed from. In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and. Notes on blindness 2016 directed by pete middleton, james. He knew that if he didnt try to understand his blindness it would destroy him. 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. Notes on blindness is a compilation of the authors audio notes, made over the course of the years following the loss of his sight. In cinemas march 2nd tickets only available on demand.
These very recordings are lipsynced by the actors and they, along with a unique visual style, attempt to recreate johns perspective on his experience. Netflix, hbo now, and amazon prime have revealed next months new arrivals, which include classic blockbusters, alist comedy specials, and a brand new superhero show. Notes on blindness lends boldly adventurous cinematic form to the. Notes on blindness 2016 tvpg 1h 26m criticallyacclaimed documentaries based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into 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, directed by pete middleton and. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. 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 is a new documentary about writer theologian john hulls experience of going blind. 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. Its an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative and one of the most essential british documentaries of the year. Notes on blindness is a delicate portrait of theologian john hull and his reflections upon his adultonset blindness.
In 1983 he began keeping an audio diary, documenting his extraordinary journey into a world beyond sight year. It was awarded the storyscapes award at the 2016 tribeca film festival and the alternate realities vr award at sheffield docfest 2016. Notes on blindness trailer 2016 trailer for the documentary notes on blindness. The film was released in the uk on 1st july and is still playing in a handful of cinemas. Based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. I just wanted to close my eyes and listen to the films realistic sounds and the. Its an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative and one. Notes on blindness lends boldly adventurous cinematic form to the heightened experiences of an articulate, eloquent, and. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on. Notes on blindness is a moving, intimate documentary, a triumph of sound and image, and a poetic examination of love, loss, memory and marriage. Feb 09, 2017 notes on blindness is a compilation of the authors audio notes, made over the course of the years following the loss of his sight. In addition to a being packaged with a virtual reality experience at selected theaters, notes on blindness is being released in formats for blind and sighted audiences.
Upon learning of his new impending status, hull started keeping a diary on audiocassette of all that changed for him from dreams, his imaginative life, memory, etc. In the early 1980s, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and academic john hull lost his sight. While the film has poignant moments, it is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, failing to deliver fully on the promises of its creative form, rich setting and pathosladen subject. Notes on blindness 2016 directed by pete middleton. Jan 25, 2016 daniel schindel january 25, 2016 notes on blindness is the kind of documentary that aims to be formally distinct something i wish was standard for the art.
Notes on blindness 2016 u 1h 26m british dramas based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. Hull in 2011, having read his acclaimed 1991 book touching the rock. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious. Upon their publication in 1990, oliver sacks described the work as the. Notes on blindness uses the aural diaries of the late academic, john hull, to tell the absorbing story of what happened following his loss of his. Short film the muse screens with selected shows of notes on blindness between fri 1 thu 7 jul the muse pg dir tim walkergb 201414 mins ben whishaw, kirsten mcmenamy legend has it that if a human man falls in love with a mermaid she will grow legs. Notes on blindness recreates hulls fascinating and deeply. Into darkness is produced by ex nihilo, arte france, and the french startup audiogaming, in coproduction with archers mark. Whats coming to netflix, hbo now, and amazon prime in march. Jul 01, 2016 directed by peter middleton, james spinney. A suburban mother of two takes a fantasycharged trip down memory lane that. Nov 23, 2016 notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to light by stephen holden the new york times. 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.
Hull, who died last year, recorded his thoughts on blindness on tape, at first daily, then less frequently as time. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, the feature version of notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the documentary form. An experience of blindness, which was transcribed from his audio diaries. Financial analysis of notes on blindness 2016 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Notes on blindness follows the journey of writer and theologian john hull, who began an audio diary after losing his sight in 1983 to help him make sense of the loss and upheaval it caused in his. It uses that story as a jumpingoff point to explore actual ideas in this case, dealing with the loss of a sense, and how the experience of lacking this sense can be. Notes on blindness uses vr to tell a story of life without. Notes on blindness is currently playing at the film forum in new york city. This experience is based on the audio diaries of writer and theologian john hull, who after decades of. In 1998, saramago received the nobel prize for literature, and blindness was one of his works noted by the committee when announcing the award. The season concluded with super bowl li, the leagues championship game on february 5, 2017, at nrg. Since premiering at the 2016 sundance film festival in january, notes on blindness and the sister vr project notes on blindness. The 2016 nfl season was the 97th season in the history of the national football league nfl. Written and directed by pete middleton and james spinney starring dan renton skinner, simone kirby, john hull, marilyn.
After the writer and theologian john hull became completely blind in 1983, he kept an audio diary of his experience. Nov 18, 2016 1116 2016 john hull, whose writings were praised by oliver sacks, shares what it feels like to lose his sight in peter middleton and james spinneys doc. Nov 25, 2016 notes on blindness is currently playing at the film forum in new york city. Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. 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. Over three years, hull recorded over 16 hours of material creating a story of loss, rebirth and transformation. The original trailer for the multiaward winning feature film notes on blindness for which i won a golden frog for best cinematography in a docudrama notes on blindness 2016 feature trailer on vimeo.
The film does more than simply tell an interesting true story which the filmmakers stumbled upon. Notes on blindness into darkness is an interactive vrproject based. Notes on blindness avoids the sentimental pitfalls of a documentary this personal. Jan 05, 2017 in cinemas march 2nd tickets only available on demand. 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.
John reveals to us that he believes some of his brains are. Dear cinephiles, notes on blindness is like no other film youre likely to see this year. Jason daprile is a freelance writer with work appearing in prominent publications such as gamespot, playboy, and many others. The season began on september 8, 2016, with the defending super bowl 50 champion denver broncos defeating the carolina panthers 2120 in the nfl kickoff game in a rematch of the super bowl. Notes on blindness is a 2016 british documentary film directed by peter middleton and james spinney.
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