A few notes of interest about Brand Upon the Brain!, which I saw awhile ago now, but am eager to share nonetheless. First of all, the movie is not just a "movie,' it is an experience that combines live narration and sound effects, while watching an image that sputters to life with spontaneity. It captures the memories of "Guy Maddin" (he is the director, yes, but the story's protagonist as well) and reruns them with overt attention to their repetition. These are not flashbacks, but the story unfolding in disconnected retrospect. The film is about memory and functions like it; it is the process of taking us through Maddin’s recollection that gives it meaning. Our narrator at the Music Box Theater in Chicago was Crispin Glover. His character's voice was the steady rhythm that helped us digest the crackly picture on screen; he, along with the live Foley artists, gave the performance form. In fact, the finest contribution the Foley staff gave the first few rows, was another sensory experience, an inadvertent olfactory activity: the smell of fresh celery water from ribs of celery twisted to create the sound of a dead man's limbs being straightened on screen.
Brand Upon The Brain! has limited release, but is screening throughout the country this summer. Check the website for dates!
No comments:
Post a Comment