History Lessons

An adaptation of a Bertolt Brecht novel, History Lessons tracks a young contemporary Roman interviewing Julius Caesar’s former acquaintances, to illustrate how history is often written (and controlled) by the victors. Three ten-minute single takes of the man driving around Rome, however, became notorious. Many viewers walked out (“To understand the street, you must see the street!” Straub retorted), but those who stayed knew something distinct had begun.