The Overcoat

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Live Recording by Wilfried Kaets

Short and Sweet

The film tells the tragic yet comical story of the rise and fall of the humble clerk Akakiy Akakievich.

His life changes only when he decides to buy a new coat. After saving for a long time (and enduring hunger), Akakievich finally holds his new coat in his hands. The coat transforms Akakiy Akakievich both outwardly and inwardly.

As a victim of a crime, his new coat is stolen, and he is beaten. In the hope of recovering his coat, Akakiy Akakievich appeals to higher authorities but is brutally rejected and beaten down. At this point, his mental decline begins, and he dies from the torment of not being able to get back his beloved coat.

The film’s expressionistic cinematography accentuates all events in a grotesque, excessive, or demonic manner. Combined with the décor, it creates a darkly threatening, dreamlike atmosphere.

Action

The film tells the tragic yet comical story of Akakiy Akakievich and the rise of an insignificant individual to a notable person. Akakiy Akakievich, whose life begins with a telling name and baptism, leads a dreary, lonely life in St. Petersburg. He is entirely devoted to his job as a clerk, specifically a copyist. The act of copying fills his entire existence. He is so passionate about it that he even has favorite letters. Although he sometimes works in the evenings at home, he does not participate in social life. He is ridiculed by his colleagues, but he either ignores it or is unaware of it.

His life changes when he decides to buy a new coat. After long saving (and enduring hunger), Akakiy Akakievich finally holds his new coat in his hands. The coat transforms Akakiy Akakievich both externally and internally.

Suddenly, he becomes aware of the world around him and is noticed by others. His colleagues even throw a small party in honor of the new coat. Although Akakiy is warmly received, the guests quickly lose interest in him.

On his way home, he becomes the victim of a crime. His coat is stolen, and he is beaten. In the hope of recovering his coat, Akakiy Akakievich turns to higher authorities but is brutally rejected and mistreated. This marks the beginning of his mental decline, and he soon dies from the torment of not being able to recover his beloved coat.

In expressionist fashion, the creators depict a threatening environment of urban gloom. The play of light and shadow, the loneliness of a snow-covered street, and oversized monuments and walls isolate the hero, expressing his abandonment and helplessness. This eccentric, stylized film adaptation of Gogol’s novella clearly bears the traits of a romantic grotesque in the spirit of E. T. A. Hoffmann. It is one of the first ambitious attempts to find a cinematic equivalent for the literary language and specific style of an author. Later, several directors also attempted to adapt Gogol’s original work.

Music

**New Music for Organ, Live Electronics, and Piano**

Alternatives for solo piano or organ, as well as for orchestra, instrumental soloists, choir, and percussion.

The music serves both as a tribute to the great silent film scores of the 1920s and as a work utilizing entirely contemporary materials composed by the artist.

For example, traditional organ sounds are blended with atmospheric electronic sounds. The organist interacts with themselves in duets, trios, and quartets, while the organ communicates with computers, samplers, and expanders. This setup allows for the live performance of melodies, clusters of sound, or rapid passages that would otherwise be unplayable.

The music, with its various instrumental and vocal timbres, will unfold around the audience, creating “floating sounds” that move through the space in conjunction with live electronics.

The Overcoat revives a long-lost, highly significant silent film from the expressionist Leningrad film school “FEKS – Factory of the Eccentric Actors.” Wilfried Kaets has composed new music for it that captures the spirit of historical silent film music practices while also imbuing the silent images with a unique, fresh breath.

The Overcoat

Live Recording by Wilfried Kaets

Short and Sweet

Action

Music

Overview

Actors

New music for orchestra, soloists and choir by Wilfried Kaets. Alternatives for organ, live electronics and piano, as well as for piano or organ solo.