Points: 5
In Marcel Gonnet Wainmayer’s documentary Valdenses (Waldensians), the recovery of the silent film Fideli per secoli, shot in the mid-1920s in the north of Italy and banned by Fascism, is one of the narrative devices to tell the history of the Waldensians, often called the forerunners of the Reformation, since their anti-Catholic stance goes back to the 12th century. They are also an 850-year-old community which in the last decades has defied the Vatican on issues such as the acceptance and validation of homosexuality and women’s right to abortion.
Besides the scenes from the silent film, Valdenses also features fragments of the play Li Valdés, from the Gruppo de Teatro Angrogna, which tells a different version of the history of the Waldensians, as it tours diverse communities in Argentina and Uruguay. And in the US, the Waldensians of North Carolina stage the play From This Day Forward, yet another historical reading. And there are the testimonies of today’s representatives of the community, as well as drawings depicting key moments in the history of this singular community.
On the one hand, Valdenses surely tells a lot about its subject from its very beginnings, its development, crucial times in the history, and the community as it looks today. The many interviews are certainly knowledgeable and the information they provide is an important piece to make up a picture of multiple shades. Add to that the information you get from the movie and the plays. In little time, much is exposed.
Yet the documentary feels like a history lesson that offers little insight and raises few queries. And it’s far too anchored on the spoken word — be it in the testimonies or on the dialogue and songs from the play. In fact, what seems most appealing are the images from the silent film and it’s a shame they are not put into any kind of dynamic dialogue with the rest of the material. They are there just to illustrate what the spoken word already explains.
The point is not whether the Waldensians’ history in itself is interesting or not – that’s for you to decide – but it’s the way in which it is narrated that hinders the movie. It’s of not much help either that the editing lacks a seductive rhythm and there’s little dramatic crescendo at all. So if you care to know about the community, you will know quite a bit, with all sorts of details, facts, and explanations. And that’s that.
Production notes
Valdenses (Argentina, Italy, Brazil, 2015) Directed by Marcel Gonnet Wainmayer. Cinematography: Carlos Gindzberg. Editing: Marcos Pastor, Miguel Colombo. Running time: 78 minutes.
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