Cowards Bend the Knee

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Mason M Oct 5 I am a Guy Maddin super-fan. I was lucky to see his film Rumours and a film festival earlier this year and was able to talk to him and I've loved his films and style ever since. I do always love me a good Guy Maddin film. Cowards Bend the Knee was yet another great and insane film from him. What's so great about Maddin, especially in this film, are his visuals. The way this film is shot is crazy and awful. Almost constant cutting of shaky and fast visuals with nearly every shot having a different speed. It should be awful but it's just so beautiful to look at, the visuals in this film are hypnotic. The writing and plot were really great too, the story is far out and absurd but I really cared for the characters and it fit perfectly into the hyper-cinematic world Maddin creates. This film is very hard to watch and not for the faint of heart. But if you really get into it and embrace the world Maddin creates, it becomes where you can't take your eyes off the screen. I really liked the performance from Darcy Fehr too, he's subtle but perfect as Guy. I'll say it may feel a bit underwhelming compared to Maddin's other bigger films, but the fact that this film is able to get so much out of so little just makes it great. If you haven't checked out any of Maddin's films, he is one of the essential directors and one of the best to ever touch a camera. And Cowards Bend the Knee was another wonderful and insane and hilarious film from his truly unique mind. See more 04/30/2017 If you're interested in seeing a movie that tries too hard to be artistic, or that wants so badly to reach a high brow society who has to justify having spent 60 minutes suffering through this so gives it a high rating in order to seem intellectual, then this is the film for you. Not Maddin's best work, and not nearly as artistic as it wants to be. See more 11/12/2012 When you're no longer capable of slaking your thirst with David Lynch, move up to Guy Maddin. His tesseract narratives, richly amazing character portrayals, and oddly on-point cinematography seem like they've been fated for centuries (even when they come from the hip). Years ago, a friend advised that the best way to view Maddin's work was through various lenses of altered consciousness. I disagree. I believe firmly that Maddin's work is itself an alteration of consciousness that allows us to wake up to the rich and baroque beauty that surrounds our everyday reality. See more 12/12/2010 This is kinda what Un Chien Andalou would be like if Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel were Canadians raised on Hockey and Canadian Whiskey. A surreal, semi-auto-biographical (in ways only Guy Maddin knows I'm sure), silent film featuring abortions, amputations, strangulations (including a cop (!)), fisting, boobies, wax sculptures and of course Hockey. This film is difficult to summarize so I won't bother. I can say that Guy Maddin is quickly becoming one of my favourite film makers from Canada or otherwise and everyone owes it to themselves to check out his unique films. Especially if your a fan of Silent Era films, Surrealism, German Expressionism or movies like Eraserhead, Tetsuo or Begotten. Strongly Recommended. See more 06/01/2010 Dass Guy Maddin zu den bedeutendsten Filmemachern unserer Zeit zählt, ist ja ohnehin klar. Unter seinen Meisterwerken ist der als Kunstinstallation entstandene Film COWARDS BEND THE KNEE, OR: THE BLUE HANDS vielleicht der zerrissenste, disparateste, auch: abgründigste. Alptraumbilder, direkt aus dem Unterbewusstsein gerissen und auf die Leinwand geworfen; "wie halb erinnerte Stummfilme" (Christopher Long). In einem grandiosen Stummfilmkonzert in den Tilsiter Lichtspielen im F'hain gesehen. See more 04/02/2010 Guy Maddin films are definitely made for a niche audience. Black-and-white silent films with modern era flair. This is a vague film with a very convoluted plot. Any lover of surreal cinema would likely enjoy it. It essentially is a warped tale of revenge and irony. Impossible to summarize in a mere snippet, I'll leave it at that. Certainly not the same 'ole same 'ole. :) See more Read all reviews

Cowards Bend the Knee

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