Location: Maine College of Art. 522 Congress Street. Portland, Maine. 04101

Description: The films of Peter Watkins are events, and LA COMMUNE may be his magnum opus. Revolutionary in form as well as content, LA COMMUNE captures the historical moment of the Paris Commune of 1871, when a revolutionary government spontaneously formed by the people of Paris defied the national authorities during the Franco-Prussian War. A cast of hundreds re-create the events, and competing camera crews - one from the "official" government station, the other run by the Commune - capture the drama as it unfolds, from different perspectives. An exhilarating experience with special relevance to our media-saturated present, Watkins sweeps us up into the events, showing the aspirations and mandates of the revolutionary government, even as the fighting continues that will bring it to an inevitable bloody end. A penetrating critique of modern media, no one who meets the challenge of LA COMMUNE will be unchanged by the experience.