Antiquities

Reviews

Jan Svankmajer's new DVD "The Ossuary and Other Tales" is out. It contains some of his less known and underrated masterpieces: "The Last Trick" - Two magicians try to outdo each other in performing magic tricks, where the last trick would be disappearance of both. As in "Dimensions of Dialogue", "The Last Trick" explores inability to communicate and impossibility of dialogue and understanding. 1964/color/11:30 mins "Historia Naturae" - mesmerizing parade of myriads of images composed of eight sections, each devoted to a different category of creature. These are: Aquatilia, Hexapoda, Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia, Simiae and Homo 1967, color, 9 mins "Johann Sebastian Bach" - great combination of music and images 1965, black & white, 9:30 mins "Don Juan" 1970/color/31 mins Based on The Don Juan story, Svankmajer made this 30 minutes long festival of the colors, images, and unique techniques that are perfectly follow the European tradition of telling the marionette tale. Combining dark humor and tragic, even shocking scenes, "Don Juan" is certainly one of the master's most memorable and remarkable films. "The Garden (Zahrada)" - I think that the Czech title of this black/white short film matches it better than the English one. "Zahrada" means Fence and the fence in the movie catches our as well as Frank's, the guy who visits with his friend Joseph, attention immediately and makes us feel unsettling and uncomfortable. Josef's garden fence, you see, is made up of the standing and holding hands people, men and women. They just stand there silently, never complaining and seem to be eager to do a good job for their employer. Josef seems to own a very important secret that allows him to keep his "fence" in good shape and strict order and he whispers it to Frank's ear. We will never find out the secret but it must be life-changing because the next we see - Frank joins the fence and is ready to serve to the bearer of the secret. This short film alone makes Svankmajer lawful heir to the one and only master of surrealism in the history of Cinema, Don Luis Bunuel. Svankmajer calls himself a "militant Surrealist" - very appropriate. 1968, B&W, 19 mins "The Castle of Otranto" is animation/short/mocumentary based on "The Castle of Otranto", a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole, the first gothic novel. The novel takes place in Otranto in southern Italy. In Jan Svankmajer's mocumentary, the amateur archeologist Dr Vozáb has set to prove that the supernatural ghost love story takes place not in Italy but in Otranto Castle near Nachod in Czechoslovakia. The events of the story where the characters step out from the pages of the book and presented in animation, are intercut with the interview between the Dr Vozáb who is passionate about his findings that proves his idea and a TV reporter who is skeptical about the whole idea... until the very last shot in the movie. "Darkness-Light-Darkness" is the only film I've seen before; it was included on "Alice" DVD. This 7 minutes short is a fascinating clay animation where a man constructs himself from clay (literally), being a God and his creature at the same time, putting the different parts of body together in a very small room. The more parts find their pace, the bigger the man becomes, the smaller and more suffocating the room gets. "Darkness-Light-Darkness" has been seen by many critics and viewers as a very strong allegory of suffocating life in Eastern Europe which is true, but I also see it as an allegory of a struggle every talented and deeply feeling artist goes through in the search for beauty and meaning regardless the political system or the country they live. From the darkness of non-existence to the light of knowledge to the unbearable darkness of being - that's the road Svankmajer takes us and as usual, his vision is not a cheerful or optimistic one. "Manly games aka Virile Games", 1988, color, 12 mins or I'd call it the "Soccer movie to end all soccer movies". "Manly games" is a combination of live action, very creative claymation, and a sport documentary. It stars when thousands of men of different ages and social standing arrive to the stadium to watch a soccer game. Then we see a man who is going to enjoy the game watching it on TV in his apartment where the fridge in the kitchen is filled with beer bottles. When the game begins, we realize that the rules of the game have been changed: the points seem to come from the team who kill more of the other team's players. The funniest and most shocking scenes demonstrate the amazing skills and imagination with which the players of one team dispose or their opponents. I've always thought that there is no creature in the world that has developed the ability in torturing, mutilating, and murdering its own species with such creativity and delight as humans do and Svankmajer proved me right. And finally, the most astounding film of all, my favorite The Triumph of Death - Jan Svankmajer's "The Ossuary"(1970) "The Ossuary" is the most stunning, disturbing, masterful and creative short film even for Svankmajer. I usually would stay away from the words THE MOST but "The Ossuary" deserves the epithet for the unique subject matter which is a voyage inside the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic with an actual tour-guide (or rather a substitute for a tour guide) who tells the story of the Ossuary to the group of middle school students. The ossuary contains approximately 40,000 human skeletons which have been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. During the Black Death in the mid 14th century, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century many thousands of people were buried there. In 1870, Frantisek Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to arrange the bones of 40,000 people or so artistically and orderly. What he had created with the help of his wife and two children is the most disturbing, macabre, ominous and unsettling works of art I've ever seen: four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. A huge chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vaults. The guide proudly informed the audience that the USA government had offered the Czechoslovakia government $100, 000 for chandelier but the offer was declined. The signature of Master Rint and the year 1870 carved in bone can be seen on he wall near the entrance. In 1970, the centenary of Rint's contributions, Jan Švankmajer was commissioned to make a "cultural documentary" about the ossuary. The result was a 10 minute long nightmare of the images that could be compared to the darkest and most pessimistic works in the history of Art. Bosch's "Inferno" looks like a sitcom next to the quiet and silence horrors of the artistically and lovingly arranged human bones and sculls that would never for a second let a mesmerized viewer forget about decay and death. Svankmajer did not have to create any hellish nightmarish images or visions - all he had to do - to let his camera go wild in capturing the never stopping and never ending Dance of Death. Absolutely fascinating and unforgettable.

Here is the material from the Kimstim/Kino site. Since Amazon seems to know nothing about it. ***** Since his first film in 1964, Jan Svankmajer (LITTLE OTIK, LUNACY) has made some of the most memorable and unique movies ever made. Animator, poet, sculptor, designer and self-proclaimed "militant Surrealist," his films present a delirious combination of puppets, humans, stop-motion animation and live action. Svankmajer's films conjure up a dreamlike universe that is at once dark, macabre, witty and perversely visceral. Or, as the great director Milos Forman once offered, "Disney + Buñuel = Svankmajer." KIMSTIM is proud to present this second astounding collection of remarkable short works from an artist who has mesmerized audiences the world over and has inspired filmmakers from the Brothers Quay to Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam. "Unless we again begin to tell fairy tales and ghost stories before going to sleep and recounting our dreams upon waking, nothing more is to be expected of our Western civilization." - Jan Svankmajer INCLUDES * THE LAST TRICK 1964/color/11:30 mins * DON JUAN 1970/color/31 mins * THE GARDEN 1968, B&W, 19 mins * HISTORIA NATURAE 1967, color, 9 mins * JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 1965, black & white, 9:30 mins * THE OSSUARY 1970, black & white, 10 mins * CASTLE OF OTRANTO 1973-79, color, 17 mins * DARKNESS / LIGHT / DARKNESS 1989, color, 8 mins * MANLY GAMES 1988, color, 12 mins ***** Well it all looks great!! I have Darkness / Light / Darkness and the Last Trick on VHS collections they are excellent. Manly Games is Probably the funniest Svankmajer film made and a great poke at soccer mania in Europa. The Ossuary is a very important film in itself. The rest look to be fascinating and inspirational as usual. The only real shame here is that now only lonely Jabberwocky still languishes in VHS jail. Let's hope this gets a place of honor somewhere ... soon. And Czech out the Jiri Barta collection released the same day as this.

Reviews

The Bone Box was an intriguing read! I was eager to follow the progress of the story, and engaged with the characters. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between the present day and the days of Christ. It was interesting and informative, with many details about the customs of the Jewish people both today and in the past. I would definitely recommend it.

An agnostic archeologist, is asked to begin an emergency excavation of a burial site in Taipoit, just outside of Jerusalem where he discovers the remains of Caiaphas, the High Priest that presided over the trial and subsequent delivery of Jesus Christ to the Romans to be crucified. In Bob Hostetler's "The Bone Box", archeologist Randall Bullock lives a mediocre life participating in digs far from his family. The recent loss of his wife and the strained relationship with his only daughter intensifies his loneliness driving him to drink , despair and loss of interest in his chosen occupation. An old friend offers him an opportunity to investigate a cave recently discovered at a construction site. While on location, his daughter Tracy (recently expelled from college) arrives unexpectedly creating more complexity as he attempts to expedite the digg before the Jewish Sabbath. An Israeli Antiques Authority guard named Miri Sharon is assigned to the site and instructs Randall in some of the complex customs of the Jewish religion stressing that "nothing in Israel is simple". Indeed it is not as Randall soon discovers a mob surrounding the site insisting that any bones discovered be surrendered to them for proper burial. Randall and his daughter hurry to document as much of the discovery as possible before they are forced to surrender the bones to the insistent Jews but not before he discovers a scroll.This discover would be monumental to history but the great significance is how the discovery of the scroll affects Randall Bullock. For purely evidential reasons and with only vague memories of the name Caiaphas from his wife and from his childhood, Randall searches the bible to discover more about this man. A parallel account of Caiaphas is told beginning with his appointment as High Priest portraying the man in a much more `human' way than I have read before. The story of John the Baptist arrival on the scene, Yeshua's many miracles and healings, and Yeshua's subsequent trial and crucifixion are retold from Caiaphas' viewpoint. This is a fiction account,of course, but was very well researched. Christian readers will connect many of the events described in the parallel story. What follows is political intrigue, the path of salvation, and finally reconciliation and redemption. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly. Keiki Hendrix Vessel Project Book Reviewer [...]

Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I would only rate it as your average, would-be thriller. I remember reading the back cover blurb in the bookstore and thinking that this story would quite the page-turner, but throughout my commute to and from work it has taken over two weeks to finish the book, and in my opinion the summary is possibly misleading. The story is compelling, though not entirely original, and is not the thriller I expected. All of the other characters aside from Rand, are extremely underdeveloped and purely used as devices to move along the plot. Also, Rand's "transformation" at the end of the novel comes across too suddenly, and even though the author's intentions are obviously good, it's effect is heavy-handed. Also, another hangup with the novel for me is the introduction of a couple plot elements (especially the whole story that Rand really didn't find the ossurary, but rather purchased it from an antiquities dealer) at the end of the novel that are not resolved, and really make me question why they were included in the first place. One thing I will definitely praise, though, is Hostetler's ability to do his research and weave historical and biblical fact into the fictional tale. Again, not a bad read, and definitely made my morning and evening commutes more enjoyable.

I just got back from vacation where I finished "The Bone Box." I had to write this comment and let others know how much I enjoyed it! Anyway- a great story! I love to read a good book and have quite a few stacked on my bookshelf to get to, but put this one on the top of the list for vacation. I'm glad I did. Hostetler has a good writing style and the content kept my attention throughout. I developed a relationship with the characters so I actually cared about what happened to them. I liked the back and forth between the two main story lines- current time and in Jesus' day. I liked the short chapters; makes it easier to read, I think. I also liked the "common language" style which helped the story feel more real- as if I was hearing the story from a friend. I found myself rushing to the end to see what finally happened. I couldn't put it down for the last fourth of the book! This is a fine fiction story that ties many Christian truths and facts into it. The author has done a lot of excellent research and there is a section at the end with notes about that research that added to the overall experience. Included is a thoughtful reason why some people don't want to accept Jesus. Read it- you'll like it!

The Bone Box, by Bob Hostetler, Howard Books, 2008, 352 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-1416566472,$13.99 Dust flung into the air by the earth-moving machine highlighted the sunset's golden colors against the ancient Jerusalem skyline. Momentarily distracted, the operator sensed a sudden shift beneath him. He swiftly brought the engine to a shuddering halt and jumped to the ground, soon joined by other excavation members. They stared into the gaping hole in the desert floor ten feet below, inches from the front of the machine. Several stone boxes sat on the floor of what might have been an ancient burial chamber. If they were right, the Jewish Antiquities Authority would take over the excavation site. They were concerned about their jobs, but losing the site would be nothing compared to the political infighting, danger, and intrigue their discovery would unleash. Tightly rolled scrolls inside one sealed box would reveal the 2000 year-old bones of the high-priest, Joseph Ben Caiaphas. In The Bone Box, award-winning author and pastor, Bob Hostetler, writes a fictionalized tale of biblical supposition, filled with archeological, political, and religious intrigue. The story confirms the resurrection of Christ, and the fictional role Joseph Ben Caiaphas might have played in the ancient event. The story is told through the eyes of three fictional characters, Randall Bullock, recent widower, and agnostic archaeologist, his estranged college-age daughter, Tracey, and the high-priest, Joseph Ben Caiaphas. The Bullocks story revolves around dysfunctional family relationships and Bullock's crisis of faith, which was triggered by his astonishing discovery of the bone boxes. Hostetler uses short chapters to interchange time periods, with the archaeologist's story running concurrent with the excavation. Caiaphas's 2000 year-old story parallels Bullock's adventures. The alternate time frames slowed the story down for me until the middle of the book. Two plot lines that weakened the story for me was the implied romance between Bullock and Miri, the Israeli Antiques Authority representative, and the romantic involvement between Tracey and Carlos. I would have liked to see the relationships more developed and integrated into the plot. However, the plot was ambitious and interesting, particularly Caiaphas's account of what-might-have-been. Verifying Jesus' death and resurrection and why newspapers wouldn't print the story, was thought provoking. Overall, however, Hostetler has written an interesting, fictionalized account drawn from the pages of time.

Reviews

This was a pretty good read - exciting and suspenseful - even for someone who isn't a religious historian. Other than some formatting issues likely stemming from the publisher, this was a very refreshing read in an exciting style. The story had some unexpected branches at times but tied it together with an intriguing, mysterious storyline which, according to the author, is based on true events which adds to the intrigue. Fun to read albeit a bit heavy on the historical religious information - sometimes hard to follow for someone who isn't religious but, doesn't detract from the overall excitement.

This novel is flowing and easy to read; the kind of book that one cannot put down from the first to the last page. At first blush it reads like a compelling theological thriller, based on some exciting archeology. But, reading between the lines, I discovered much deeper meanings to it. It's a deep study of the tormented psychology of the main character, subsequent to an overwhelming personal tragedy. This is hidden very subtly in the storyline, and even in the writing style. For example, some may think that the grammar is sometimes faulty, because the author includes some dialogue inside narrative paragraphs, without quotation marks. I believe that is not a grammatical error, and I've seen it in other works. In any event, this style subtly relays the main character's depression, despair, and disdain to most words and action of people surrounding him, who he believes are living in a world where he no longer belongs. Another example of hidden meaning relates to the main character's motivation. While his mundane motives for following the stolen artifacts are stated specifically in the book, he seems to be subconsciously following symbols of resurrection in a desperate quest for revival. He is obsessed with death, revival and the confines of life and death. When he understands these motives as the book closes, he loses interest in the artifacts and continues instead with his life. A thoroughly entertaining, eudcational, and thought provoking novel.

Here's a commentary on this book by Writer's Digest Magazine's judge: "The plot, involving the theft of ancient ossuaries from a museum in Jerusalem affecting basic beliefs about Jesus Christ and Christianity, is fascinating in its implications. All the background material lends a measure of credence and interesting speculations about the meaning of the bones. The book also is a travelogue as well with descriptions of various cities and places in Israel, Cyprus and other countries as well as their respective cuisines. The major character, a detective, has a brash but beguiling personality that grows upon the reader as he and a fellow staff detective work to solve the mystery while suffering various perils and setbacks. The romance between the detectives adds an extra dimension to the story line." Great read.

I was in Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem... The raw material of this tale is of keen interest to any thoughtful person.

After reading the previous reviews here, it seems like a contradiction of purpose to say you are seeking true information on a historical quest for the real Jesus through a fictional piece of work. Yet fiction accounts are purported to have more true information than actual research? Since when? Please let's not confuse the two. 'The Bone Box' is OK as novels go, but none the less it IS fiction and should be kept in correct perspective. I recommend reading it for its intended purpose as a good entertaining piece of fiction. I give it 4 stars. I would have given it 5 stars but I had some problems with the author's sometimes amaturish use of phrases and writing, plus the author himself balked near the end and did not take a definitive stand regarding the Talpiot tomb authenticity.