Based on an unknown Schönberg opera from 1929 From Today Until Tomorrow explores one night in a notquite loveless marriage A husband and wife return from a party where she has flirted with another man while he has cast an appraising eye toward an attractive fashionably dressed acquaintance of his wifes Though each dreams briefly of leaving the marriage for the excitement and mystery of a new lover in the end they decide stability and comfort are more important than the fleeting thrill of new romance Directors JeanMarie Straub and Danièle Huillet who previously collaborated on two other films about music The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach 1968 and Moses and Aaron 1975 rely on long fixed shots in austere blackandwhite so that the focus remains on the musical brilliance of Schönbergs atonal score performed here by 70 musicians That Schönberg would choose such a relatively lighthearted message for his newly discovered musical language remains a mystery especially since the conclusion reached by the husband and wifeto stick with the tried and trueseems directly at odds with Schönbergs own philosophy of composing It is just this juxtaposition however coupled with Straub and Huillets faithful presentation that makes the opera a compelling addition to the Schönberg canonand the film such a challenging and intriguing experience
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