M.C. Escher is one of the artists who feels most accessible to an adventurous spirit looking to appreciate the visual majesty that can emanate from art. If you have ever found yourself transfixed by an image that delightfully breaks your brain, there is a good chance you were gazing upon something by Escher. Maybe it was the constantly ascending staircase formed into a square that caught your attention, or perhaps the faces of two lovers made up by an interconnected, eternal ribbon? The diamond collage of birds and fish will make you feel like you are on a slight acid trip. These images are iconic, but what do you know about the man behind the art? The one true glimpse we got of the man while he was alive was in his art; a bearded gentleman reflected brilliantly in a sphere resting in the palm of his hand. The new documentary M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity from Robin Lutz eschews the wash-rinse-repeat approach of similar films as he endeavors to show the significance of Escher by giving context to his artistic evolution.
One of the first insights we glean after the mandatory broad overview of our subject comes from musician Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash. As one of the foremost proponents of Escher’s brilliance, Nash wrote to the artist late in life and received a reply in which Escher said he did not believe himself to be an artist at all, but rather something closer to a mathematician. One of the most intriguing aspects of the film is the relationship Escher has with his place in the culture. The counterculture movement of the 1960s saw something mind-expanding within his work – the fact that his prints were often enhanced with color for blacklight fun did not diminish the artistry. While Escher was a bit peeved that this clandestine business did not license the use of his work, he may have been more so bewildered over how the hippies could even gain anything from him. Escher considered what he did as “trivial,” but the youth of the era recognized he was turning the world upside down with how he approached animation.
Journey To Infinity allows Escher to tell his own story with British performer Stephen Fry (V For Vendetta) giving voice to various letters, diaries and lectures, which works more than it does not. Fry gives a verbal verbosity to Escher that accentuates the playfulness in his language, but after a while there are points where you wish for some variety in the vocal performance. Outside of this minor personal quibble, Fry elegantly sketches the life of this creative genius from his early training in the Netherlands to his stylistic expansion from being surrounded by the splendor of Tuscany and beyond. His meeting and marriage to Yetta, a young Russian who he fell deeply in love with and took care of even during bouts of mental illness, is one of the more rewarding stories when it comes to fleshing out the artist as a man. Insight from his children helps break up some of the monotony of the narration while giving further insight into his character. If you want more about his art, though, you should rest assured that it takes precedence in this telling of his life.
From his early days as a woodcut landscape artist, images of which the movie explores from page to real-life setting, to his evolution to etching and beyond, Escher is shown to be greatly influenced by his surroundings. The city night captured in Rome makes for a haunting experience, while a Tuscan village reaches a level of fantastical modern audiences may dream to see in big-budget fantasy epics. It is his visit to Spain which elevated his artistry to something even more entangled in math, and in turn delivered some of his most beloved work. Hearing his reaction to the patterns in the Alhambra Palace conjures a bubbling excitement within you. You experience Escher giving himself over to the process of tessellation and bringing the wild world into the structured geometry of his art. This original art coupled with some bold creative flourishes from Lutz and his team of graphic designers helps illustrate just how innovative Escher was with how he implemented his techniques. The art is the crown jewel of this piece with his biographical details taking a healthy backseat – giving you just enough of what you want to know. It is often hard for a documentary to capture what makes art so vital, but M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity delivers on the promise of the artist.
Video Quality
M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity comes to Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a gorgeous high definition master. The film mostly consists of new animated renderings, archival footage, a couple of new interviews and copious amounts of stills. Every aspect looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. The transfer appears to have plenty of room to breathe and there are no issues with compression artifacts, banding or other digital nuisances. The footage of the older material seems to be in the best state that would be possible, with most of it looking pretty strong. Interview segments look sleek and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. The colors featured in the film are natural and vibrant as they provide a nice visual pop on screen. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. I do not see how this set could have been improved visually. It’s a stunning transfer handled with care by Kino Lorber.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with both a stellar DTS-HD 5.1 & 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this material perfectly. Narration is the driving force of the film, and it comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. The filmmakers do a really great job of making sure all information comes through with supreme clarity. The lovely score establishes the mood of the film and is resolved well here as music often permeates the room. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels. The audio track is not pushed to the limit with this content, but it nonetheless proves to be an excellent sounding presentation for this feature. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for those who desire them.
Special Features
- Stephen Fry, Narrating The Film: A two-minute piece which shows behind-the-scenes footage of Stephen Fry in the recording booth narrating the film.
- Making-Of Featurette: A nearly nine-minute look at the capturing of certain scenes within the film from an outside perspective.
- Behind-The-Scenes Stills Gallery: A four-minute collection of photos from the production of the film.
- M.C. Escher Home Movies: A cool two-minute look at some black-and-white vintage home movie footage.
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer for is M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity provided here. There is also a trailer provided for Acasa, My Home.
Final Thoughts
M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity is a very enlightening and transfixing documentary which explores how Escher honed his craft as he gained new life experiences. Not only do you get to know about the man behind the art, but you get some valuable information about the creation of the art. Some of the narration from Stephen Fry can be a bit too overwrought at times, but for the most part his delivery adds a touch of gleeful whimsy to the experience. Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films have released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a couple of brief supplemental features. For those who want to explore this world of Escher’s art, this will be a wonderful experience. Recommended
M.C. Escher: Journey To Infinity is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
