“In his inspired, inspiring essayistic documentary, THEATER OF WAR, John Walter jumps from art to history and politics and back again, from the theater of the streets
to the theater of the stage, without pause… There is much to admire in a movie in which intelligent adults…discuss art as if it matters (because it does)…
Much of the movie’s pleasure comes from watching another brilliant performance take shape as Ms. Streep tries out different line readings,
gestures and poses in her search for Mother Courage.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times. Click here to read complete review

“A Holiday Must-See! Meryl Streep was a stunning Mother Courage onstage in 2006.”
– Time Out New York

“In the field of documentary, John Walter has emerged as the medium’s most eloquent and entertaining cultural historian.”
– Nick Dawson, Filmmaker magazine

“For anyone interested in the continuing relevance of theater in a society dominated by momentary electronic impulses, in the responsibility of artists
in wartime and in the greatest anti-capitalist, anti-government, antiwar and anti-romantic playwright of the 20th century, Walter's cool, capable,
stimulating exploration is a must. Scenes of Streep, Wolfe and the cast in rehearsal are fascinating, and I especially appreciated Walter's wry,
Brechtian digressions into the less-heralded work of the costumers and prop-makers.”
– Andrew O’Hehir, Salon

MERYL STREEP IS AN UNFORGETTABLE MOTHER COURAGE in Tony Kushner’s adaptation of the Brecht masterpiece, presented by The Public Theater/NY Shakespeare Festival in Central Park during summer 2006. Filmmaker John Walter’s earlier documentary, HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY, explored the psychological ramifications of the life and art of Ray Johnson. His new movie could easily have been a star vehicle for Streep and Kevin Kline. Instead he digs deeply into Brecht’s motives and politics, unearthing the playwright’s famed (and famously clever) testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (the day after which he quit the United States). THEATER OF WAR is about theater and war, capitalism and Marxism, the postwar anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s, and one literary genius’s ability to make art from them all.

Links:

• Listen to our podcast: Q & A with filmmaker JOHN WALTER (Recorded December 27, 2008)
• Click here for Manohla Dargis’s review in The New York Times
• Click here to listen to Tony Kushner, John Walter, and Oskar Eustis discuss the film on WNYC's "The Leonard Lopate Show":

USA • 2008 • 95 mins. • Alive Mind / Lorber HT Digital