REVIEWS of IMAGO Jay Carr (Boston Globe) European Reviews
Jay Carr Review IMAGO Meret Oppenheim had its North American theatrical premiere in Boston in October 1990 and received the following movie review by Jay Carr of the Boston Globe: "Many know surrealism's famous fur-lined teacup. Comparatively few know the name of the artist. Imago Meret Oppenheim handsomely and humanely fills the knowledge gap. Remarkably, the filmmakers are able to fill their film with a sense of Oppenheim's presence although she died in 1985. They make telling use of photographs to evoke the full-featured, strong-profiled, dreamy-eyed woman whose diaries, letters, poetry and recorded dreams are potently read by Glenda Jackson in voiceovers. … When Oppenheim says that nobody gives you freedom, that you have to take it, it isn't said aggressively. Good student of Jung that she was, she realized that her journey necessarily must be from the inside out. From the burr on Jackson's sentient, sculpted tones to the measured rhythms of Robertson-Pearce's and Spoerri's imagery, Imago achieves an intimacy and self-awareness rare in films about artists. And in its subtle way it also reminds us through Oppenheim's words and example that the most profound art is born of wholeness, not aberration."
European Reviews: "IMAGO develops a clear image of the childhood, youth, family home, relationships, work and living spaces of this incredibly creative and extraordinary woman. The film is based on a subtlety, which comes from a profound knowledge of the person and work of Meret Oppenheim." TELE "The film creates - without her direct participation - a presence of this remarkable woman, which could hardly be more intensive in a film." DU : die Zeitschrift der Kultur "Living space, art, biography, feelings and friendships come together as an unity in this film." Neue Zürcher Zeitung "An impressive, remarkable film about an artist's life. Why Meret Oppenheim has become a role-model for many young people is shown in a quiet, meditative way by this film." Berner Bär "Full of sensitive attention to the oeuvre of Meret Oppenheim, the documentary material supports the stations of her life between passion and suffering, closes the circle and creates the connection between the surrealistic phase in Paris of the Thirties and the interest for Jung's psychology. She does not appear in the film, but her traces are ever present, forming an intimate veil of memories, which touch the wide field of the conscious and subconscious, of connectedness to the earth and dreamlike distance." Sonntags-Zeitung "The artist's development, her success, her crisis and her self-discovery are carefully presented. Impressive is also the filmic presentation of her living spaces in Berne, Paris and Ticino. An extensive and well chosen selection of her works permits an insight into the her large body of work." Der Bund "Sensitivity, respect and understanding characterizes also the narrative of the film. The film deals with the different stations of her life and the development of her work in an informative and precise way." Berner Zeitung