The Falls (1980 film)
A mock documentary of 92 entries on VUE survivors.
The Falls, released in 1980, is Peter Greenaway's debut feature-length film, following a long career of short films. Rather than a conventional story, it is structured as a mock documentary composed of 92 brief segments. The narrative centers on a global catastrophe known as the "Violent Unknown Event" (VUE), which killed many and left survivors with a shared set of bizarre symptoms: mysterious ailments (including apparent mutations toward bird-like forms), obsessive dreams about water (categorized by type, such as Category 1, Flight, or Category 3, Waves), and a fixation on birds and flight. Many survivors also develop new languages and cease aging, becoming functionally immortal unless killed by disease or injury. The film presents itself as a filmed excerpt from a directory of these survivors, specifically the 92 entries for individuals whose surnames start with "FALL-." Not all entries are for people—some are deleted entries, cross-references, or administrative quirks. One biography covers twin brothers Ipson and Pulat Fallari, portrayed in still photographs by the Brothers Quay. The Falls incorporates clips from several of Greenaway's earlier shorts and foreshadows later works: the car accident in entry 28 anticipates a similar event in *A Zed and Two Noughts* (1985). The narration is formal and deadpan, contrasting sharply with the absurd content. The soundtrack is primarily by Michael Nyman, partly based on the slow movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K. 364 (as in his later score for *Drowning by Numbers*). It also features avant-garde songs, including snippets of "Jugband Blues," the final track Syd Barrett recorded with Pink Floyd. The film holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Nathan Lee of *The Village Voice* calling it "the most playful and engaging of Greenaway's compositions." Vincent Canby of *The New York Times* gave a mostly positive review, noting that "though *The Falls* is much too long for its own good, its rewards are real."
- director
- Peter Greenaway
- year
- 1980
- format
- Feature-length mock documentary in 92 short parts
- composer
- Michael Nyman
- runtime
- Not specified in source
- rotten_tomatoes_rating
- 80%
Quick Facts
- Director
- Peter Greenaway
- Music
- Michael Nyman
- Released
- 1980
- Runtime
- 185 min
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The world in The Falls has been struck by a mysterious incident called the 'Violent Unknown Event' or VUE, which has killed many people and left survivors suffering from common symptoms: mysterious ailments (some appearing to be mutations of evolving into a bird-like form), dreaming of water (categorised by form, such as Category 1, Flight, or Category 3, Waves), and becoming obsessed with birds and flight. Many survivors have been gifted with new languages and have stopped ageing, making them immortal barring disease or injury. A directory of these survivors has been compiled, and The Falls is presented as a film version of an excerpt from that directory, corresponding to the 92 entries for persons whose surnames begin with the letters FALL-. Not all entries correspond to a person; some are deleted entries, cross references, and other oddities of the administrative process. One biography concerns twin brothers Ipson and Pulat Fallari, played in still photographs by the Brothers Quay.
Reader's Guide
The Falls is significant as Peter Greenaway's first feature-length film, marking a transition from his earlier short films. It includes clips of a number of Greenaway's early shorts and anticipates some of his later films: biography 27 features Propine Fallax, a pseudonym for Cissie Colpitts, the central figure of Drowning by Numbers (1988), while the car accident in biography 28 prefigures that in A Zed and Two Noughts (1985). The soundtrack is mainly by Michael Nyman, partly based on the slow movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K. 364, and includes clips from songs by Brian Eno and Syd Barrett's 'Jugband Blues'. The film's largely formal and deadpan narration contrasts with the absurdity of its content. Reception includes an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Nathan Lee of The Village Voice calling it 'the most playful and engaging of Greenaway's compositions', and Vincent Canby of the New York Times noting that 'though The Falls is much too long for its own good, its rewards are real'.
Did You Know?
- The Falls is presented as a film version of an excerpt from a directory of VUE survivors, corresponding to 92 entries for surnames beginning with FALL-.
- The twin brothers Ipson and Pulat Fallari are played in still photographs by the Brothers Quay.
- The soundtrack includes Brian Eno's 'Golden Hours' from Another Green World and snippets of Syd Barrett's 'Jugband Blues'.
- Biography 27 features Propine Fallax, a pseudonym for Cissie Colpitts, the central figure of Greenaway's later film Drowning by Numbers (1988).
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