November
Film in progress
Director : Eric Pinoit
Duration : 120 minutes
Year of production : In development
Support : CNC, Radio France, Europe Creative Media
Co-producers : Naoko Films, Radio France
November takes us on a journey to discover the origins of one of the most important artistic movements of the 20th century: minimalist music. In its quest for total purity, this movement, rooted in the work of Dennis Johnson, speaks to us of the subtleties of time, the harmony of nature, and the beauty of living with little.
Forgotten for five decades, November is a masterpiece of music composed in 1959 by a 21-year-old Dennis Johnson. Exploring the radicality and immense beauty of this five-hour piano piece, along with the multifaceted life of its composer—Dennis Johnson was not only an exceptional kayaker, experienced mountaineer, and brilliant composer, but also a mathematical genius who helped NASA send robots to explore Mars and Venus—the film sheds new light on the birth and development of one of the most significant musical movements of the second half of the 20th century: minimalist music.
An intimate musical journey into the fragility of memory, but also a reflection on time and the art of living and creating with little. Minimalist music has had a massive influence on musical production and could be perceived as the most influential trend of the 20th century: influencing rock, pop, jazz, electronic music, and even the film industry. Even today, its influence is immense, with numerous musicians and filmmakers drawing inspiration from it. Paradoxically, however, the history of this cultural movement remains relatively unknown and seems inexorably limited to a few well-identified musical figures, the so-called "repetitives": Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.
Dennis Johnson, on the other hand, liked to say that the Chinese had discovered the art of becoming invisible, but had lost this gift over time... While Dennis Johnson certainly excelled in everything he did, he also excelled at the art of becoming invisible... Dennis Johnson lived several lives. "At least three," he would say. He even lived one of these lives under another name...
He was a lone wolf, a lover of nature, and a pioneer in many fields. In the circle of mathematicians, he is a legend, but very few people ever met him. As a kayaker, many of the rivers he explored in California had never been mapped before him. He became an expert in photography, astronomy, silent cinema, computer programming... A multifaceted character, he lived like his music, with the bare minimum, preferring silence over commentary. Dennis Johnson was always acutely aware that solitude and a certain poverty were the price to pay for extreme independence of mind and his refusal to compromise. He was never interested in social recognition, money, or competition. He accepted the consequences, without sadness or regret, embodying the final words of Gustav Mahler's Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen: "I have withdrawn from the world, I live alone in my paradise, in my love, in my song."
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