The Black Rider

About The Film

This documentary chronicles the creation of The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, the celebrated theatrical collaboration between Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, and William S. Burroughs. The production, adapted from August Apel's supernatural short story "Der Freischütz" — which was made famous in the operatic tradition by Friedrich Kind and Carl Maria von Weber's 1821 opera — premiered on March 31, 1990, at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany. Wilson directed and designed; Burroughs wrote the book; Waits composed the music and lyrics.

The story centers on Wilhelm, a young file clerk in love with Käthchen, whose father will permit the marriage only to a skilled hunter. Desperate, Wilhelm makes a Faustian pact with Pegleg — the Devil — for magic bullets, with catastrophic consequences. The work is dark, expressionistic, and sung largely in English, with spoken dialogue in German, drawing on the aesthetic traditions of German Expressionism and the Theater of the Absurd while filtering them through the distinct visions of all three collaborators.

Janssen and Quinke's film follows the production from rehearsals in September 1989 through to the opening night, providing rare behind-the-scenes access to Wilson, Waits, and Burroughs at work. The documentary includes extended interviews with all three artists alongside rehearsal footage and excerpts from the premiere performance — making it one of the most complete records of Wilson's creative process in collaboration, and an invaluable document of a singular meeting of artistic minds.