Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002)

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Eight master directors of world cinema combine forces for this omnibus film that focuses cumulatively on the subject of time. Bookended by cello interludes, Ten Minutes Older: The Cello presents just one parameter to each of its filmmakers: no final entry can be more or less than ten minutes long.… More Eight master directors of world cinema combine forces for this omnibus film that focuses cumulatively on the subject of time. Bookended by cello interludes, Ten Minutes Older: The Cello presents just one parameter to each of its filmmakers: no final entry can be more or less than ten minutes long. The resulting films run the gamut of styles and moods, beginning with Bernardo Bertolucci's Histoire d'Eaux, which presents an Indian fable about a mentor's impatience. In Mike Figgis' entry About Time 2, the director continues with the experimental structure he pioneered in Timecode; similarly, Jean-Luc Godard uses his time allotment to present a fractured series of clips on youth, death, and love. Another non-narrative entry, Volker Schlöndorff's The Enlightenment presents a series of images on racism. Claire Denis' effort Vers Nancy chronicles a philosophical discussion on time between a teacher and student on a train ride; in Jirí Menzel's Ten Minutes After, the effects of time on aging Czech actor Rudolf Hrusinsky are documented. In perhaps the film's most narrative-oriented segment, director Michael Radford offers up a sci-fi vision of an astronaut returning to earth to find that his son has aged faster than he has. Ten Minutes Older: The Cello is a companion piece to 2002's Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet, which aired in the U.S. on the Showtime cable network. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Bernardo Bertolucci, Claire Denis
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 3, 2002 Wide

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Anthony L

A some good/some great collection of short films produced by Wim Wenders and directed by an impressive ensemble of talented directors. All were given the theme of time and 10 minutes to do whatever they liked basically. The results were varied and wonderful. You'd have to ask… More
A some good/some great collection of short films produced by Wim Wenders and directed by an impressive ensemble of talented directors. All were given the theme of time and 10 minutes to do whatever they liked basically. The results were varied and wonderful. You'd have to ask Wenders why it's called The Cello though, I suspect it's down to his own love of jazz or something. This is the companion piece to The Trumpet. Bernardo Bertolucci - Histoire d' eaux - A strange first film to start with really, it's beautifully shot, full of intrigue and is well acted. I can't say I totally understood it, i think it's to do with not forgetting who got you where you are but I'm really not sure. I did like the ending though. Mike Figgis - About Time 2 - Typically, Figgis's entry is more of an art instillation than a film. Along the same lines as Timecode, he splits the screen into four parts. I actually really liked it. I loved Leaving Las Vegas but I hated Hotel, this film has got me interested in him again and is one of the better films of the collection. Jiri Menzel - One moment - A touching memorial to the late great Czechoslovakian actor, Rudolf Hrusínský using archive footage of his films to show him ageing through the years. A nice piece, one that has made me want to look up Rudolf Hrusínský's films for sure. Istvan Szabo - Ten Minutes after - A husband comes home and drunkenly beats his wife and gets stabbed in the process. We don't need to see this to realise how quickly things can change in a short amount of time. Unless I'm missing something, I feel that this was a very weak entry. Claire Denis - Vers Nancy - An interesting conversation between two people on a train and stark conclusion highlighting the fact that we are on the cusp of change. Volker Schlondorff - The Enlightenment - Easily my favourite of all the films in this collection, The Enlightenment analyses the very theory and concept of time through skinheads, a mosquito and the repeat visits to a German campsite. Absolutely brilliant! Michael Radford - Addicted to the Stars - The 'Blockbuster' of the collection, Radford has thought outside the box and into the realms of 'What if'. A slow and moody piece of time and space travel. A good turn by Daniel Craig and a final chance to see the late great Charles Simon. Jean-Luc Godard - Dans le noir du temps - Godard misses the point of the whole idea, maybe that's why his film is last. It seems lazy to me, he goes between out archive footage of the holocaust and his own films but never really makes any point. Maybe it's a personal film but to the viewer it's pointless and verging on tastelessness. Good old Godard eh! As a collection and because of a couple of real stand out films, this is a five out of five film.