Rectangular_businessman "The Films of the Brothers Quay" is a incredible collection shorts, and it was my very first contact with the work of this Stephen and Timothy Quay, two animators heavily influenced by Jan Svankmajer( In fact, the first film included in this collection, "The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer" is an exquisite homage to that Czech animator) However, as this collection of shorts shows, the works made by the Quay Brothers quickly developed their own style, being lyrical and haunting at the same time.From the eerie beauty of "Street of Cocodriles" to the whimsical, dream-like "Stille Nacht" shorts ("Dramolet", "Are we Still Married?" "Tales From Vienna Woods" and "Can't Go Wrong Without You") each one of the works included in this selection shows an incredible artistic quality, filled with intense poetry and unforgettable images.I highly recommend "The Films of the Brothers Quay". The ten shorts included here are each one a triumph of its own, and it shows how artistic and beautiful non-mainstream animation could be.10/10

tedg Spoilers herein.Imagine the "key" twins of `Zed and Two Noughts.' As they lay dying and decaying in the movie they are making, they imagine twenty six sessions of Carrollinian (conceptual) sex with their daughter, Alice. As they enter the underwonderworld of discarded beings, they are distracted by the Saragossa Manuscript. What results is this collection of story-rooms where they are forced to recreate themselves from the discarded detritus of themselves.They recall literary and musical constructs and build a visual reality around them. As the world is synthetic, half of it has to go toward its own operation.Any day, I'd trade ten evenings with Scorsese for one with the Quays. This work quotes so much arcane literature that I am sure I missed 90% of the references. I thoroughly understand Polish kabbalah and Alice, so appreciated the still nights 2 and 4. In fact, I have never been so visually exhilarated as in those few minutes. The earlier stuff is too oppressive for me to choose my challenges in that flavor. I think Svankmajer got the Alice stuff all wrong, so the early homage to him is flawed. Lots of drawers... relatively unclever in previsualization.I am tentatively giving this only a three of four. A four is must viewing, but I must wait until seeing `Institute Benj.'Ted's evaluation: 3 of 4 -- Worth Watching

Rick O The Quays are American-born identical twin animators who work out of London but whose work has a strong Eastern European flavor. I first came across their work one late night on a PBS station while channel surfing. It took about three seconds to realize I was watching something that was an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind experience. "Street of Crocodiles" was a strange epic in miniature, depicting a subterranean world where wooden dolls are brought to life through impossibly graceful stop-motion animation. In it, a silent man explores this enchanting but virtually unknowable place of brownish shop interiors and inanimate objects set into symbolic motion through the wonders of reverse time lapse photography. This Kafkaesque type of journey is typical of the Quays' work. Oftentimes their art seems to be a what a visualization of the subconscious would look like--and oftentimes it's just as hard to decipher.This collection is so valuable because for so long the Quay Brothers have been under-represented on video. Another gem included here is "The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer", named after the Czech animator who is their biggest influence ("Alice", his fabulist revision of the Wonderland story, is also not to be missed). "Cabinet", a parable of a child's education, is more lighthearted than most of their work and is filled with some of the brothers' most sumptuous visual poetry. "Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies" and their pieces on painting and opera are also great. Not for everyone, but adventurous lovers of film, animation and the avant-garde should not miss out on the bizarre and beautiful world of the Quay Brothers. And with this comprehensive collection available, there's no reason not to.

lobo27 Having been a long time fan of Jan Svankmejer's animation, I finally checked out the Brothers Quay. I'd have to say that I think their work is far more interesting than a lot of Svankmajer's. (Altho he has some amazing pieces) I was floored by the detail and vision that their work shows. Absolutely amazing and incredible beautiful work! Wonderfully surreal sets and characters. Buy it for your collection!