Ravel's Brain

I stumbled upon this strange, surreal documentary on Knowledge Network in Vancouver, Canada last year. I hardly knew what I was watching until I began to see references to Maurice Ravel, one of my favorite composers. The movie itself was as impressionistic as Ravel's music, combining interviews with Ravel's actual friends and colleagues, dramatized scenes from his life that were very convincing as old home movies, and passages of his music, all swirled together in a way that could not possibly have worked in lesser hands. The strangest element was a sort of mini-opera sung by a baritone "doctor" performing surgery on Ravel, who eventually succumbed to an unknown brain disease. The notion that his disorder somehow shaped his music was intriguing, as there is a repetitive aspect to some of it as if he is crossing back and covering the same ground over and over. Bolero is only one example of this. I also think of Une Barque sur L'ocean and its endless hypnotic cycles. When he became "stuck" and could not compose any more, it was heartbreaking to watch. HOW I wish I had recorded this program to watch again, as I was barely able to take in what I was seeing and have not been able to find a DVD. Somehow I don't think it will be re-broadcast ever again. Did I dream this?

I happened across this documentary on one the marvellous French/German channel, Arte. Alas, there were no English subtitles - but luckily some of the interviews were in English, and in any case I can follow some French.

The documentary is quite remarkable - a blend of Ravel's music massage your ears throughout, and visually the film moves between interviews, through to faked archive footage. The film is both surreal and beautifully made. For a while I believed I was seeing ancient home movies from Ravel's later years - then it becomes more obvious that Ravel and his friends are being acted - but rather convincingly. There is some genuine footage too - I remember seeing it from a documentary made some decades earlier. Amazingly, there were three friends of Ravel still alive at the time this film was made; though sadly the film is dedicated to the pianist Gaby Casadesus who died in 1999, I would presume during the making or production of the piece. She is amazing for a 98 year old - still playing the piano at this great age.

The essence of the documentary is the question that was asked when Ravel had his brain operation in 1937 - if there is a chance in a million that the operation will make Ravel be able to compose again, would that chance be worth taking, offset against the considerable risks? Ravel had lost many of his faculties a few years earlier, perhaps as a result of an accident that happened to a taxi he was riding. His composing ability deteriorated in a short space of time.

Somehow a decision was made, and the operation performed. As we know, Ravel did not survive long after the procedure, so sadly the one in a million chance did not happen.