the saddest music in the world

[jeh]

from amazon.com:

Only the mind of Guy Maddin could conjure up The Saddest Music in the World, in which a double-amputee beer baroness invites musicians of all nations to compete in a grand music competition... in Winnipeg. The only thing zanier than the plot is Maddin's style, which makes the film look like a lost artifact from the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari era, a jumble of Expressionist compositions and gauzy focus. It helps if you're already a fan of the director of Careful and Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary, for this is not Maddin's most cohesive picture. Kids in the Hall stalwart Mark McKinney is a little too arch as a sharpie returning to Manitoba, but Isabella Rossellini is delicious as the "Beer Queen of the Prairie." By the time she straps on a pair of hollow glass legs filled with bubbly lager, you're either delighted by this movie or you've given up. --Robert Horton

i thought this one looked interesting. it's all in cloudy, grainy, black and white...has some very nice sound quality to it. i found the movie a bit irritating but strange enough to keep me watching. also included is a short film called "sissy boy slap party" that was pretty hilarious.

[GaryB]

Despite the fact that this movie was filmed in and is about my city - and local director Guy Maddin is revered by some elements of the "indie" crowd - I couldn't stay with it for more than 10 minutes or so. I may try again some day - it's on digital cable here occasionally - but I think I'll have to be in an "altered state" before I do...

Bizarre to say the least.

[jeh]

altered state would definately help...it's hard to watch. the best moments are during the actual music competition.