FILMMAKING
PARSIFAL
A selection of excerpts from my in-progress cinematic adaptation of Richard Wagner’s 'Parsifal'. Conceived and directed as a layered visual meditation on the power of myth, ritual, and the fragility of human memory, the film combines original footage, classical motifs and artworks, and experimental film styles to adapt the entirety of Wagner's last work for the screen. I have served as director, editor, and colorist on all sequences.
"SHE RAISED HIM IN FEAR" - EXCERPT FROM 'PARSIFAL'
Through a veil of radiant color, this excerpt features the mysterious Kundry’s narration of the hero Parsifal’s isolated forest upbringing at the worried hands of his young, widowed mother (a moment typically rendered as sung exposition in theatrical productions). In this film adaptation, I chose to visualize the backstory, aligning with the film’s broader meditation on memory. The flashbacks were shot on videotape, both for its soft, degraded texture and its strong sense of point-of-view, evoking the hazy, imperfect way we recall our own pasts.
"TERRIBLE DISTRESS" - EXCERPT FROM 'PARSIFAL'
This excerpt from 'Parsifal' captures a tense exchange between the self-castrated sorcerer Klingsor and Kundry, a tormented figure ensnared by his curse. Though compelled to obey his will, she resists with what little defiance she can summon. In a moment of furious indignation, Klingsor reveals the bitterness and rejection that led to his mutilation and descent into darkness. The scene blends live action, stop-motion techniques, animation, and vivid color to evoke the fevered, distressed psyche of this tortured antagonist.
"CODA: THE WOUND THAT WILL NOT CLOSE" – EXCERPT FROM 'PARSIFAL'
In this epilogue to the second act of 'Parsifal', Kundry is shown suffering a ghastly disfigurement in the aftermath of the destruction of Klingsor’s castle by Parsifal. Bound by a curse that denies her death, she remains conscious and broken, unable to succumb to her gruesome injuries. Conceived as a coda to the intensity of the act, this scene interprets the emotional weight of Wagner’s stage directions rather than adhering to them literally. It reveals the collateral damage of a hero whose power, though righteous, has devastating consequences for those caught in its wake.