La Commune (Paris, 1871)

"History is violence, all the time."

As cinematic experiments go, Peter Watkins' La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000) is truly impressive. Whether this five-and-a-half hour epic, equal parts historical docudrama and polemic, is entertaining or worthwhile is harder to answer. Ambitious in its conceit and provocative in its themes, it eventually succumbs to rambling self-importance.

In March 1871, amidst the disastrous Franco-Prussian War, leftists overthrow the French government and establish the Commune, a socialist government in Paris. The new government tries to revolutionize society, but its extreme politics and ...