The Falls

Introduction

Assembled over a five-year period from a combination of self-generated and found film footage, The Falls takes the form of a directory detailing the biographies of the 92 victims of the Violent Unknown Event (or VUE), a mysterious apocalyptic occurrence that has left a substantial section of the British public speaking bizarre, invented languages, dreaming of water and identifying themselves with birds.

Press quotes

"A three-hour British masterpiece of chop-logic hilarity and formal delirium..."

"The film's dead-pan-zany commentary spoken with ex-cathedra solemnity by a rotating host of voices-off creates the most delicious snarl-up of pedantry and poetry in British cinema's history. THE FALLS is Moviedom's answer to Tristram Shandy and you should fall over yourself to try and see it." Nigel Andrews, FINANCIAL TIMES, 21 Nov 1980.

"For those who like riddles, acrostics, sudden excursions, romantic insights, and the eerie music of Michael Nyman... come to Xanadu" Chris Auty, TIME OUT

"Greenaway... is a true original with an eccentric and bizarre sense of humour" Derek Malcolm, THE GUARDIAN

THE FALLS is Greenaway's first feature film and a hydra-headed biopic. It documents the lives of ninety-two victims of a 'Violent Unexplained Event'. Conjured into being as a modern Babel myth, the 'VUE' has left its victims with the ability to speak one or several of ninety-two different new-minted languages (Capistan, Allow-ease, Hartileas B etc) and with a myriad of physical changes to boot. The victims chosen for the film are randomly picked from a total of 19 million VUE casualties because they all have surnames beginning with 'Fall' from Orchard Falla and Constance Ortuit Fallabur to Leasting Fallvo and Anthior Fallwaste. The events of their lives, both before and after the 'fall' of VUE, are encapsulated in biographies ranging in length from five seconds to five minutes. Harlan Kennedy, FILM COMMENT, Jan 1982

"Electrifyingly intelligent... monstrously clever." VILLAGE VOICE