Jan Svankmejar 3

Jan Svankmejar

The Ossuary and Other Tales

Home

Distributed by KimStim and Image Entertainment

The KimStim website

Other Jan Svankmajer DVDs

The Last Trick

Svankmejar's first film. Two life-sized puppets play one-upmanship on a stage. Each wooden-headed puppet takes turns performing parlor tricks by opening his head and doing some sort of surreal and impossible performance piece. And throughout, a big black beetle crawls around. After each set of tricks, the two shake hands vigorously, to the point of ripping off each other’s arms and then dismembering each other. Then the beetle dies. Whatever. His trademark jarring, almost violent, editing style and claustrophobic CUs are in place right at the very beginning.

Johann Sebastian Bach

A man in a dark coat walks up the stairs of one of Svankmejars classic decrepit buildings in typical chiaroscuro CU to an organ on the top floor. As he plays a Bach organ piece, the walls chip away in stop motion. A fantasia of texture and doors and walls ensues. Some interesting effects as holes grow and surfaces are scraped away, but I can’t get a handle on the point. Oh well, not the first time, nor the last. Piece ends with lots of shots of double windows, like eyes, sealed shut.

Historia Naturae

A cataloguing of animals in Victorian style (quoted by the Quay Brothers in their Cabinet of Jan Svankmejar), from shellfish (in Archimbolo faces) through insects and mammals to humans, utilizing engravings and skeletons and very academic-looking collections. Between each class, a man eats a piece of meat, until after humans, a skull chews steak.

The Garden

Two old friends reunite after 20 years and go to one’s house out in the country. The host’s house is surrounded by an unbroken circle of people holding hands. Guest is distressed and eventually joins the group. Again, I’m sure it’s deeply politically symbolic.

Don Juan

Tedious retelling of Don Juan tale, in which he kills his betrothed’s father and his own brother. Done as a marionette piece, with strings visible, but nobody operating the puppets. Action goes between outdoors and an elaborate stage set. Long (30 minutes) with a really irritating jester. Snore.

The Ossuary

A tour through the largest ossuary in the world, home to some 70,000 skeletons. Images are tracking shots and close-ups of the elaborate bone structures to the sound of a guide giving a tour to a group of young students. The structures are elaborate and gothic and grotesque, and Svankmejar utilizes a jarring swish pan/jump cut technique between the film’s longer shots. Tour audio intercut with old creaky bicycle sounds, which play well against the elaborate bone structures, but otherwise, the puiece is fairly pedestrian. There’s a reason this is disc three.

The Otrants Castle

A faux documentary about a scholar researching an old Italian tale, related by Hugh Walpole, about a castle inhabited by a giant knight. The scholar is interviewed by a reporter and describes his research and conviction that the Otrants Castle is this one found in the Czech Republic. Interview footage is intercut with Gilliamesque cut-out engraving animation, illustrating the old tale. The reporter expresses doubts, and then a giant arm bursts out of the castle. The engraving animation (which is colored) is nice as is the conceit – earliest mockumentary? – but I’m beginning to tire of old Svanky.

Darkness, Light, Darkness

A typically Svankian clay man assembles himself in an empty room until, fully assembled, he is crammed into every corner, unable to move. This is more like it. This has almost a Magritte feel about it – a clean, abstract, pared down type of surrealism. I like the eyes on the fingers. Also reminiscent of Esher’s self-drawing hands. Very good.

Manly Games

A guy watches futbol on TV while drinking beer and eating cookies. Players all have his face and get points for dismembering each other in creatively grotesque ways. Game eventually invades his apartment, Seems to be a commentary on sports nad fervent nationalism and violence. The guy eventually finds he’s sitting on his own gooey face. Funny and grotesque.

AniFan is a member of the Hypercube collective

Home