Far from being drivel, as another commentator has suggested, History Lessons is one of Straub and Huillet's richest and most rewarding films. A young man from the present interviews a series of ancient Romans about the rise of Julius Caesar (the text is adapted from an unfinished novel by Brecht): what emerges is a brilliant (and funny) demythologization, an analysis of power whose contemporary relevance is underscored both by the young man's obvious modernity and by his 3 long drives through modern Rome. Straub and Huillet refuse to cover over the myriad contradictions in their project (the anachronisms, artifice vs. documentary, etc.); instead they heighten these into a rich and challenging dialectic which demands of the viewer intense critical engagement and the patience to learn new ways of looking and thinking.

I just watched "History Lessons" today in my Film Class. I was quite excited, my expectations were high and I was ready. It started off ok, but just got worse and worse over the 90 minutes which seemed like 4 or 5 hours. I understand it's a very Brechtian idea from a couple of radical directors, but 30 minutes of this film is a guy driving around Rome. Another 30 minutes is two men sitting in silence. One minute of it is a water fountain. And the remaining 29 minutes is two German actors talking about Julius Caesar, but only about half of what the actors said was translated to the subtitles.

Although I do believe this film accomplished what it set out to do; to make absolutely no sense and to be totally unenjoyable.