More moving animal parts and less human pontificating would make a stronger case for a tale already rich in imagery. Another drawback is Liska, too one-dimensional to stand against Triska's overpowering performance.
Lunacy(Šílení)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Czech Republic, Slovakia · 2005
1h 58m
Director Jan Švankmajer
Starring Pavel Liška, Jan Tříska, Anna Geislerová, Jaroslav Dušek
Genre Comedy, Horror
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Loosely based on two short stories by Edgar Allan Poe and inspired by the works of the Marquis de Sade. In 19th century France a young man is plagued by nightmares in which he is dragged off to a madhouse. On the journey back from his mother’s funeral he is invited by a Marquis he meets at lunch to spend the night in his castle. There he witnesses a blasphemous orgy and a ‘therapeutic’ funeral. He tries to flee but is taken to a lunatic asylum where the patients have complete freedom and the staff are locked up behind bars.
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What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
One of the best films of the year.
Lunacy feels programmatic, the repetitive working through of an idea that had me checking my watch.
Lunacy is dark, scary, and yucky--even by the Czech animator's own standards.
Svankmajer has crafted his finest live-action feature to date.
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
Mr. Svankmajer’s provocations skew toward the intellectual and the shivery rather than the pop and the visceral, and at his best, he doesn’t just get under your skin, but also deep in your head, too. Here, unfortunately, he does neither, despite some marvelous stop-motion animated sequences involving a literal moveable feast of severed animal tongues, loose eyeballs and errant brains.
The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson
Svankmajer's nihilistic story isn't for everyone, but he skillfully manages its disturbing execution in ways no one else could, and he brings it across in a darkly comedic way that encourages simultaneous laughter, horror, and thought. If that isn't art, what is?
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and the Marquis de Sade (interesting combination, no?).
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