It all began in 1975 when George and Suzanne Wagner saw the four-hour documentary, "The Sorrow and the Pity," directed by Marcel Ophuls. This film told the story of the tension-filled days in France during World War II. The stories of people from all levels of society were told in personal recollections gathered in interviews done by Ophuls throughout present day France.
The powerful portrayal of a great historical moment through personal recollections inspired Suzanne, then a newly-certified analyst, to suggest to George that such an approach would be effective as a way to capture the history of Jung's life and work, through filmed recollections of individuals who knew Jung well. With the guidance and help of Hilde Kirsch and James Kirsch, and the many contributions of Sam Francis, Gilda Frantz, and a committee of analysts, the Film Project was launched at the Institute in Los Angeles.
Between 1978 and 1981, forty hours of interviews were filmed with individuals who had known Jung as a teacher, an analyst, a friend, or a family member. Those interviewed included Sir Laurens van der Post, analysts Joseph and Jane Wheelwright, and Jung's grandsons, Dr. Rudolf Niehus and Dr. Dieter Baumann.
The first film to be produced from this original material was the feature length documentary Matter of Heart. This film is comprised of excerpts from many of the interviews that describe Jung and some of the essential concepts that form the substance of his lifelong work. It is colorful, very human and potent as it eventually focuses on the survival value of consciousness of the inner world, the tension of opposites within us, and the transformative energies within which can help us unite the opposites and achieve wholeness.
We hope you'll join us Friday, May 21, for Matter of Heart, the film the L.A. Weekly called "as complete and in-depth a portrait of Carl Jung as we are ever likely to see on film."
The two films you will see on this program are unique. They are the core of the interviews the Wagners filmed with Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz in the tower retreat in Bollingen in spring of 1977. She requested that the Wagners withhold from distribution these two interviews until after her death. She died in February of 1998. Since then, these interviews have been shown to small audiences in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and to two Jung clubs. This screening in Seattle on May 22, 1999 will be the first public showing of these reserved interviews in the Pacific Northwest.
George and Suzanne Wagner write: "It was in this tower that von Franz took long retreats from her analytic practice in order to read, write, and commune with the inner world. Since there was no electricity in the tower, a special generator had to be brought in from Zurich and set up so the interior of the tower could be lit for filming. The crew worked hard to set it up in such a way that it would not disturb things too much, but would allow the filming to be done properly. Dr. von Franz was very warm and friendly, and with genuine grace even cooked lunch for everyone in her large stone fireplace.
"We are indeed fortunate to have captured Dr. von Franz in her prime, before the Parkinson-like illness that lingered in her later years came on. She is in great spirits in these interviews and gives herself fully to the opportunity to speak through film. The topics of these two interviews range widely, from recollections of her first encounter with Jung, to the meaning of alchemical writings, to problems of women developing a positive relationship to the animus and to creative life, to issues in love relationships, to synchronicity and to attitudes toward death. There is no doubt that these two hours provide a rich and poignant portrait of Dr. von Franz in her prime, speaking with genuine feeling from the depths of her soul. We owe a great deal to this woman who has helped so many find access to the deepest aspects of Jung's work. These films add a dimension of her personal warmth to her great opus."
Marie-Louise von Franz was a Jungian analyst who practised in Kusnacht, Switzerland, and taught at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. Her writings include The Interpretation of Fairy Tales, Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology, and Lectures on Jung's Typology.
By preregistering for both programs, you can save money. Members pay only $25 (a savings of $5) and nonmembers pay only $35 (a savings of $10). To learn about preregistering , see Preregistration Policy and Form.
George Wagner is an attorney who served as the first Executive Director of the Jung Institute of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1979. He graduated from U.C.L.A. and Southwestern Law School. Since 1975, George has been the producer of the Film Project for the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles which has given us Matter of Heart, The World Within, and the twenty-four part video series Remembering Jung. He has been married to Suzanne Wagner for 33 years.
Suzanne Wagner, Ph.D.,graduated from Mills College with a major in psychology in 1960. She took a Ph.D. from U.C.L.A. in clinical psychology and then studied at the Jung Institute in Los Angeles where she was certified as an analyst in 1973. Suzanne has been continuously in practice as a Jungian analyst since 1973. She has become a senior training analyst at the Jung Institute of Los Angeles and also is an active member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. She practiced in Malibu for 19 years and now practices in Sausalito. Over the years she has given lectures to the public, led seminars for the training of analysts, and served on significant working committees of both California institutes. She is currently working on a paper on dreams related to death.