is the title of the new guy maddin film opening this week. though he is not exactly a famous director in the usual sense he is rightly considered by many to be something approaching a mad genius. i’m sure that an equal or greater number of those who have actually seen his films hate them passionately. it would not surprise me in the least to hear them characterized as unoriginal (because by and large they mimic the films of the past, mostly those of the silent era), boring (because they mimic so very effectively), or just plain unintelligible (because they tend to be unflinchingly obtuse). but even with all that said, in my opinion, when they are not being hilarious, they are almost painfully poetic and incredibly beautiful.

there are certain films which simply serve a different function for me; not watched and loved because they are “good movies” but because they are evocative, exquisite, or inspiring. some that come to mind that illustrate this distinction well are haxan, a 1922 swedish film about the history of witchcraft, begotten, an intense, hallucinatory 1991 film by brooklynite director e. elias merhige, and cremaster 5, the lyric opera of mathew barney’s cremaster cycle. guy maddin’s better films, my favorite being the first i saw, his 1992 film careful, fit into this category for me. film as just plain ol’ art.

in any case though the most recent full length offering of his which i managed to see, twilight of the ice nymphs, didn’t measure up in my opinion, there were some amazing short films as well as a feature which i missed in the meantime. so perhaps he has rebounded. from the looks of it the saddest music in the world is not quite maddin’s regular fare, having moved forward in time at least a few decades and having cast actors outside his usual stable. i can’t say it looks like it will get added to my list of film as inspiration, but since he’s given me so much enjoyment in the past with careful, tales from gimli hospital, and archangel i figured i’d post about it anyway. and who knows, maybe it’s great. check out this last link for a few maddin quicktime goodies.