Satiesfictions - Promenades with Erik Satie

This is a musical documentary video of the life and work of Erik Satie. There are, many of them vintage, clips of comments from people who knew Satie or are Satie scholars. Note: Most of this video is in French, but there are English sub-titles available. One Satie scholar, Robert Orledge, speaks in English, however, so the viewer must know both languages to get through the video without the use of the sub-titles. Several performers are involved in the music portion, the main one being pianist Steffen Schleiermacher. This presentation also involves the use of animation and shadow-theatre techniques, it is quite eclectic and is a bit absurdist. Educational and fun, but not a really a serious investigation into Satie's life, either. The included booklet is a little bit fun, but basically worthless. One gets the idea very quickly that Erik Satie was a rather strange individual.This video is from 2015. If one is into internet videos, check out "Erik Satie: Things Seen to the Right and the Left", a very similar BBC documentary from 1992 (and, you can view it for free). In fact, one may suspect this older documentary may have been the model for "Satiesfictions" - compare, for example, the use of the pianist playing clips from "Vexations", or the settings used for excerpts of "Furniture Music". Some of the same commentators appear in both. This is not to say that this "Satiesfictions" is a re-make of the BBC documentary as they both have their own unique moments and twists. Anyone liking one of these videos should check out the other and may draw their own conclusions regarding influence. Both informative and enjoyable, though this newer one is a bit fancier and slicker (also shorter). This video is lengthened a little with a bonus of a few Satie compositions played in rather interesting fashion.And, on the subject of Satie videos, for those who are mainly interested in the music, check out (again from the internet and available on DVD) the one titled "Satie and Suzanne". This is a completely fictional account of Satie meeting up with his ex-mistress, turned into a type of ballet, with music played by Reinbert de Leeuw, piano. Very artistic and enjoyable, but not a documentary. Internet searches will yield a number of other Satie videos, but the 3 mentioned here are the leading ones.Documentary videos may generate an interest in a particular subject, but if the interest persists, you need to read a book. For a concise read, I recommend the short volume by Mary E. Davis. For a more expanded version, that of James Harding is excellent (there are many books out there on Satie -- check out some by Ornella Volta and/or Robert Orledge -- there are also several I have never read and cannot comment upon).

Due to not researching the DVD I looked forward to hearing everyone talking about Satie only to find it was all in French!. My mistake I will have to find someone who is fluent in the language.

excellent small film about composer Erik Satie

Lovely performances. Beautifully shot. Very fun.

SATIESFICTIONS - Promenades with Erik Satie - Accentus MusicThis biography/documentary DVD is nearly eccentric as its subject, modernist composer/art provocateur Erik Satie. With its combination of rare still photos, interviews with Satie’s contemporaries, cartoons, and brief, oddly staged performance pieces, this film should probably be viewed more for its entertainment value than as an attempt at serious biographical or musical analysis.As such, it works very well. Given the deliberate attempts on Satie’s part at both image building and obscuring the facts of his life (especially with his contemporaries), a straight, chronological narrative would likely have proven unsuccessful anyway, so why not go with snatches of early films, reproductions of Satie’s calligraphy put in motion, and anecdotes from famous contemporaries like Man Ray and Jean Cocteau? Throw in oddly staged musical performances (string quartets on a factory floor, duets played on upright pianos stacked one atop the other, etc.) of rarely heard Satie music and the package is complete.For fans of Erik Satie’s music, the film “Satiesfictions” may provide many intriguing moments; its rarely seen still and motion pictures are worth the price of admission alone. However, its greater value may lie in serving as an introduction to the uninitiated.Oscar O. Veterano

Wonderful documentary about Satie. And includes interviews with personalities such as Georges Auric, Henri Sauguet... a lot of music and humour on this movie. I liked it so much that I even ordered it two times, the second DVD for a Christmas present.