Hans-Jürgen Syberberg sees this video-film as a logical step in his oeuvre. In films such as Ludwig – Requiem für einen jungfräulichen König and Hitler, ein Film aus Deutschland he has taken an intensive look at the demise of German culture. As in his earlier films, Syberberg planned both a theatre as a film version of the same project; both media develop in parallel to augment each other. The story is set on an evening at the end of World War II. Sybille von Bismarck (daughter-in-law of the famous creator of nineteenth-century Germany) is awaiting on her deserted estate for what is to happen. The Germans have left, the Russians have not yet arrived. Her grave has already been dug. She looks back on her life and the proud and cultural Germany that has gone for ever. The film, just like the play, is in the form of a monologue that is fascinatingly performed by Syberberg’s resident actress and partner Edith Clever. Syberberg & Clever tell the story of German culture using the artistic means that have been lost. Texts are derived from Heinrich von Kleist (Prinz von Homburg) and Johann Wolfgang Goethe (Faust II), and the music is by Ludwig van Beethoven (Pastorale). Syberberg very effectively uses the possibilities of the video medium to mix pictures together. As a meta-story, prints and photos in the background tell the story of the demise of the Prussians.
