Miro - Theatre of Dreams

Written and narrated by Roland Penrose, this hour-long program on the Spanish artist Joan Miró was produced in 1978 by the BBC. Penrose, who interviews Miró in the artist's studio (Miró speaks in French; there are English subtitles), was his friend for 42 years. Miró's work belongs to the surrealist school and was largely influenced by the horrors of war, including the Spanish Civil War. Born in Barcelona, he deeply felt the oppression of his native Catalonia, and during Franco's regime he had his passport taken away from him. His paintings often began with a mark or a stain, which then led him to paint a person, or a bird, or a star. Titles were chosen for the works afterwards.

In Theatre of Dreams, Miró, at the age of 85, works with Spanish actors to produce a piece of experimental theater. An extraordinary aspect of this documentary is watching Miró put paint from a tube directly on his index finger and then onto the canvas. He then sits in a rocking chair and looks carefully at his completed work. Because the artist worked in silence, this documentary has no music. This truly remarkable program does a commendable job at capturing the artist during his lifetime. --Anne Barclay Morgan

One of the great masters of twentieth century art, Joan Miro is recognized, along with Salvador Dali, as a leading light in the Spanish Surrealist movement. In this film, made with the artist when he was 85 years old, Miro shares his memories of life among such great artists as Picasso, Breton, Ernst, Masson and Tanguy, and talks about his latest venture, an original theatrical production with the Catalan theatre group La Claca. Still youthfully vigorous and productive, Miro is seen at his home in Majorca, at his studio and at work with the actors.

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• Paul Klee (Artists of the 20th Century)