MovieChat Forums > The PianoTuner of EarthQuakes (2004) Discussion > Reminded me of Cocteau's Beauty and the ...

Reminded me of Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and Guy Maddin's films

posted 17 years ago by Anideos
7 replies | jump to latest

I very much liked The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes from the Brothers Quay. It is so dreamlike and otherworldly that I just became completely entranced by its spellbinding ambience.

If you appreciate any film by Jean Cocteau, F.W. Murnau, Guy Maddin, or even Jean-Pierre Jeunet or Terry Gilliam, then I think you'll find yourself ensorcelled by this heady and mesmeric new film. The classic 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney, also creeps into memory since the Quays borrow heavily from its expressionistic themes and tropes here.

The characters are utterly fascinating, the editing is boldly ironic, and the sound design is stabbingly powerful throughout the body of the narrative. This is a film to breathe in deeply and allow to permeate all corridors of one's brain.

Did anyone else have a really great experience with this film? If so, please post a reply and describe what transpired.

[–] dr_remlaw 17 years ago

It is truly like a dream on film. I basically went into a trance watching it and when it ended 90-some minutes later I could hardly remember a thing except that it blew my mind.

It's Sandra about the Biennale.

[–] freudified_n_funkified 17 years ago

I was reminded of Guy Maddin's inferior TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS and the plot definitely gave sort of a classic horror movie vibe in the similar sense that Felisberto goes to Droz's as Harker went to Dracula's, Droz shares his murderous obsession with an opera singer with the Phantom and his creation of the automatons gives him an air of Dr. Pretorious from BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. But even while consciously acknowledging those tips of the iceberg, I still felt as if I had seen/heard/read this exact story before. So there was an intangible deja vu throughout. Cocteau would definitely be a name I would use to describe PIANO TUNER, but it's a weird situation where even though one can spot a variety of source elements it still seems like it's own completely unique creation. A beautifully done film. I still wish the Quays could finance a completely animated feature, though.

[–] Gular-Scute 16 years ago

What a great word, I've never heard it before. I started watching this film today before I realised I had to go to work and dashed off. It does indeed look very intoxicating and dreamlike and I'm looking forward to finishing it off later and to slipping 'ensorcelled' into my conversation whenever possible.

[–] rivethead808 16 years ago

I love ALL of the above directors you mentioned plus I loved the short films so I know Im going to love this. I was waiting for it to come out on DVD and just realized today that its been out for a minute...slipped right by me. Its now top of the queue

My Collection: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=11097838

[–] CounterPaul 16 years ago

Yes, exactly! I was recently in the middle of enjoying 'The Saddest Music in the World' and the idea came to me to show this and 'Piano Tuner' as a double feature on my next movie night for friends.

"POWER TO THE PEOPLE WHO PUNISH BAD CINEMA!!!"

[–] scarletminded 15 years ago

I've only watched about 10 minutes of it and I can see the connections Anideos speaks of very strongly and most of those people like Maddin and Gilliam (well, Gilliam produces this film, so I expected it would be like this way before I saw the credit for the Quay Brothers). I picked this film as a lark by its info on my DVD R, didn't know the Quays had done a second film. I loved the first one, though it is out of print and expensive to buy, though if you have a local cult video store, they might have it.

[–] Pythe 14 years ago

I first heard of this movie when artist Dave McKean mentioned it in an interview (I don't remember if it was in a positive or negative context). I was definitely reminded of Guy Maddin and silent films in general. Unfortunately I couldn't hear maybe 30% of the dialogue because the mix is really bad and I couldn't turn it up loud enough lest some whispered sentence was immediately followed by a sudden jarring musical cue (people are trying to sleep in the house). So, while I don't know what the film means, intellectually, I think I got it emotionally. I love expressionism, and one of my deepest frustrations with modern film is that it too often feels the need to be strictly classical and linear and faux-realistic in its approach to storytelling. Films like this, in my opinion, are the only kind that take true advantage of the medium, and I salute the filmmakers for being unconventional.

---------------------------------
"It was night. I could tell because it was getting dark."