Rivers and Tides (2001)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Thomas Riedelsheimer

Writers:

(more)

Release Date:

7 March 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Andy Goldsworthy working with time.

Plot:

Portrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature. |

Plot Keywords:

Artist | Nature | Sculpture | Canada | Ice

Awards:

7 wins

Cast

Andy Goldsworthy

...

Himself

Directed by
Thomas Riedelsheimer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Thomas Riedelsheimer		uncredited

Produced by
Trevor Davies	....	co-producer
Leslie Hills	....	co-producer
Annedore von Donop	....	producer (as Annedore v. Donop)

Original Music by
Fred Frith

Cinematography by
Thomas Riedelsheimer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Thomas Riedelsheimer

Production Management
Jorg Rothe	....	production manager (as Jörg Rothe)

Sound Department
Tom Dokoupil	....	sound mixer
Colin Hood	....	location sound: Scotland
Brian Howell	....	location sound: Scotland
Marilyn Janssen	....	sound editor
Pepe Kristl	....	location sound: France
Jane Porter	....	location sound: Canada
Thomas Schwartz	....	location sound: USA (as Thomas Schwarz)
Alexander Weuffen	....	sound re-recording mixer: Dolby mix (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dieter Stürmer	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Dunja Campregher	....	assistant editor: Final Cut
Ilona Demuth	....	negative editor
Jörg Eybl	....	color timer
Manuela Jesse	....	color timer
Elina Paloheimo	....	commissioning editor: YLE
Sabine Rollberg	....	commissioning editor: WDR/arte
Ulla Salonen	....	commissioning editor: YLE

Music Department
Fred Frith	....	musician
Peter Hardt	....	music mixer
Karoline Höfler	....	musician
Bernd Settelmeyer	....	musician
Wolfgang Stryi	....	musician

Other crew
Judith Anderson	....	production assistant
Mark Austin	....	location manager: Canada
Matthias Behrens	....	technical supervisor
Ellen Bickmeier	....	production assistant
Trevor Davies	....	executive: Skyline
Caroline Foellmer	....	production assistant
Leslie Hills	....	executive: Skyline
Dave Tarvit	....	location manager: Scotland
Annedore von Donop	....	executive: Mediopolis (as Annedore v. Donop)

Thanks
Steve Allen	....	thanks
Jenny Attala	....	thanks
Ute Casper	....	thanks
Norma Cassidy	....	thanks
Régine Chopinot	....	thanks: The Ballet Atlantique, La Rochelle, France
David R. Collins	....	thanks: The Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY
Eric Coltart	....	thanks
Anna Goldsworthy	....	thanks
Holly Goldsworthy	....	thanks
James Goldsworthy	....	thanks
Judith Goldsworthy	....	thanks
Thomas Goldsworthy	....	thanks
Nadine Gomez	....	thanks: The Musée de Digne, France
Keith Graham	....	thanks
Ellie Hall	....	thanks
Guy Martini	....	thanks: The Resèrve Geologique de Haute Provence, Digne, France
Steve McIntyre	....	thanks
Andrew McKinna	....	thanks
Max Nowell	....	thanks
Gabriele Pfennigsdorf	....	thanks
Dr. Klaus Schaefer	....	thanks
H. Peter Stern	....	thanks: The Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY
Taucher	....	thanks
Vivien Treuleben	....	thanks
Gordon Wilton	....	thanks
Jason Wilton	....	thanks
Georgene Zlock	....	thanks: The Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY

Production Companies

• Mediopolis Film- und Fernsehproduktion (as Mediopolis Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH)
• Skyline Productions (in association with) (as Skyline Productions Ltd.)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (in co-operation with)
• Arte (in co-operation with)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (in co-operation with)

Distributors

• Piffl Medien (2002) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Eurozoom (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Look Now! (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Roxie Releasing (2003) (USA)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• absolut MEDIEN (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• BKM  distribution promotion (uncredited)
• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern  financial support
• Filmbüro NW  distribution promotion (uncredited)
• Galerie Lelong  representation: Andy Goldsworthy
• Galerie Springer & Winkler  representation: Andy Goldsworthy
• Galerij S65  representation: Andy Goldsworthy
• Haines Gallery  representation: Andy Goldsworthy
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg  financial support (as Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg)
• Michael Hue-Williams Fine Art Ltd.  representation: Andy Goldsworthy
• Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund  financial support (as Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund)
• Scottish Screen  financial support (as Scottish Screen National Lottery Fund)
• The Ballet Atlantique  thanks
• The Buccleuch Estates Ltd.  thanks
• The Musée de Digne  thanks
• The Resèrve Geologique de Haute Provence  thanks
• The Storm King Art Center  thanks

Also Known As:

Andy Goldsworthy: Rivers & Tides - Working with Time (Australia)
Fluß der Zeit (Germany) (TV title)
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (International: English title)

Runtime:

90 min | Argentina:92 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Germany | Finland | UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Switzerland:6 (canton of Zurich) | Argentina:Atp | Germany:o.Al. | Switzerland:6 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Digne, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France

Company:

Mediopolis Film- und Fernsehproduktion

3.5 stars (out of 4)

This German documentary, in English, is about a Scottish environmental sculptor named Andy Goldsworthy. He makes art from objects he finds in nature. For example, early in the film we see him taking sections of icicles and "gluing" them together with a little moisture into a serpentine shape that seems to repeatedly go through a vertical rock.

Of course, the icicles melt, but that transience is a part of most of Goldsworthy's work. He goes to a site and gets a feeling for it, deciding intuitively what to make that day. He talks of having a "dialog" with the rocks and other materials that he works with, attempting to work *with* rather than against them. It might be stones, or flowers, or leaves, or sticks. The sculpture might last for minutes or years, or might not even last long enough to be completed and photographed. The work seems to be more of a process than a goal.

The film, and the work, is beautiful, inspiring, and thought provoking. It moves pretty slowly, which is appropriate for the material, but you should be sure to go when you have had a good night's sleep. But do go if you have the opportunity.

Search the web for some other pages about Andy Goldsworthy or to read about his local sculpture at Stanford University. There are also several books available with photographs of his sculptures.

My thoughts: Skip reading this part if you want to find what this film means to you completely independently. I recall a couple of ideas that occurred to me while watching the film which I thought I would share for those of you still reading. First, the transitory nature of much of Andy Goldsworthy's work reminded me of the natural ebb and flow of human life. We're born, we live, and eventually we die. That's natural, and that's also naturally a part of Goldsworthy's art.

The other thought was to be awestruck with the way that Goldsworthy has managed to integrate his passion and his work so thoroughly into his life. Most of us have work which is tolerated at best, a life which we hardly notice living, and passions which we really mean to spend more time on, if we even remember what they are. Andy Goldsworthy has managed to create an amalgam of all of these aspects of his life that looks like it works very well, and is nourishing for him and those around him. Wow.

Seen on 8/28/2002.