MisterWhiplash Guy Maddin is a master in at least one respect: he knows how to use 8mm film. Very few filmmakers attempt to use it at the length he does, or to such seemingly limitless invention, and all the while he has in mind an aesthetic somewhere in the middle of an expressionist silent film director and someone looking to break a little ground with a music video. In fact two of his films specifically, Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary and Brand Upon the Brain, work better just as they appear to be: stories told in pantomime, without dialog, but also with all of the heavy emotions that come with. The Saddest Music in the World is a sound film, and must be in order to include such music and some occasionally really funny dialog. But its aesthetic is so bizarre and, indeed, eclectic to tastes of modern and pre-WW2 cinema that it has to be seen and heard to be believed.The premise is that a "Lady" in Winnepeg (Rossellini) is hosting a contest for everyone around the world to come to Winnipeg to sing the saddest songs known anywhere, and the winner will receive 25 grand (in "Depression-Era" money). But there are complications- a devilish entrepreneur (Mark McKinney in a sly and convincing dramatic performance) comes into town to bring back old memories- the legs that Rossellini no longer has due to a horrible accident stacked upon a huge blunder by McKinney's father- and there's other troubles in romantic entanglements (i.e. McKinney's brother sees that Narcissa, played by Medeiros, is with him now and may have a talking tapeworm). There's this and more, plus the brothers' father in his attempt to resolve the situation with glass legs full of, yes, beer, plus the various competitions between countries with their own styles and vibrations and sorrowful melodies (there's even "Africa" at one point).But a lot of this is, in fact, really crazy. So crazy that it takes a guy as smart and dedicated to his own warped craft like Maddin to make it make any kind of sense. But it does make sense, beautiful sense at times, and it's helped a lot out by the striking acting and the sense of morbid comedy that pops up from time to time (even just the announcers, who have that depression-era sensibility to them are funny). And watching the quixotic montage, the dazzling camera angles that sometimes go by in blinks or feverish moments in the midst of despair, make it all the more worthwhile. If I might not recommend it as overwhelmingly as Brand Upon the Brain it's only for a lesser connection emotionally with the material, of being pulled in inexorably to its conclusion. Nevertheless no one who wants to miss a challenge, take on something just this side of insanity and poetry, owes it to watch this- experience the songs, the romance. 8.5/10

david-1976 Like one of the Canadian commentators who wrote about this film, I think it presents a valid argument for a "0" (where "0" equals caca) rating. I don't need to restate the "plot" here and I can't put in any spoilers because the whole thing is spoiled.Maddin thinks that putting Vaseline on a camera lens makes things look retro. Bob Guccione thinks that Vaseline on a camera lens makes naked girls in white stockings look sexy. Maddin thinks that set designs that include a lot of "M" based shapes will make people think of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." People writing about this film applaud its bow to expressionism. Well, expressionism was better done by the expressionists; the same director who made "Metropolis" spent most of his career making stinkers like "Rancho Notorious," and imitating early cinema "looks" is only interesting for so long. One could only wish it was actually shot on the old nitrate stock so that it could be badly stored.The actors do what passes as acting, in a sort of an imitation of an imitation of grand guignol. The two female leads have interesting faces, but do nothing that resembles acting. Isabella Rossellini demonstrates one thing: she actually looks sort of like her better-looking mom, and that she chooses vehicles like the tiresome movies made by her dad, which today I find painful to watch.The DVD contains three shorts that are much more amusing than the film they accompany (especially "Sissy Boy Slap Fest"), and the two "about the film" features have a "look-at-me-I'm-wonderful" air about them, narrated by some idiot who obviously would like to do a one-man "evening with Vincent Price" show in a bathhouse.Gee: did I like this movie? I was prepared to; I thought the premise was interesting and the thought of Rossellini as a concupiscent double amputee might be funny, but the product ends up looking like something made up by stoned frat boys who think they're really, really, really witty.Yeah: if you like this movie you probably also think Baz Lurhman is a genius, too. Pass the sedatives, please.

Claudio Carvalho In 1933, in Winnipeg during the American Great Depression, the legless baroness of beer industry, Lady Helen Port-Huntley (Isabella Rossellini), promotes a contest to choose the saddest music in the world and find where the real drinkers are. People come from all parts of the world, including her former lover Chester Kent (Marc McKinney) representing USA with the nymphomaniac amnesic Narcissa (Maria de Medeiros); his brother, who misses his dead son and his vanishing wife, Roderick Kent / Gravillo the Great (Ross McMillan), representing Serbia; and his father and the man who sever her legs in a car accident, Fyodor Kent (David Fox). During the competition, Roderick finds his missing wife."The Saddest Music in the World" is certainly one, if not the most, of the weirdest movie I have ever seen. This is the first work of the Canadian director Guy Maddin that I have watched and I found this flick really bizarre. In an atmosphere of nightmare, the surreal story uses the approach of the dramatic "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" but like a dark comedy instead. The cast and the cinematography are excellent, but I did not like this very unconventional and grotesque story. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): Not Available

cultfilmfan The Saddest Music In The World, is based on an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro. The film is set in the 1930's in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada during the Great Depression. A beer baroness named Lady Port-Huntley, announces that she will be having a contest where people from countries all over the world will compete and play music and the country with the saddest music will win twenty five thousand dollars. An American named Chester Kent, who used to have a relationship with Lady Port-Huntley, wants to win the contest and plans to use the current girl he is with named Narcissa, as the singer. Chester's father is also entering the contest as is his brother Roderick, who thinks he can play a sad song seeing as his son had died several years ago and his wife left him. Soon, Roderick begins to believe that Narcissa, is his wife who left him. The only person who has never seemed to be affected by sadness is Chester. He saw his mom die as a child but has never cried in his life and has always been happy. But now he needs to find a way to write some sad songs to win the big prize. Winner of The Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at The Chlotrudis Awards, The DGC Craft Award for Outstanding Achievement In Production Design For A Feature Film at The Directors Guild of Canada, The Genie Award for Best Achievement In Costume Design, Best Achievement In Editing and Best Achievement In Music - Original Score at The Genie Awards and The Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Director (Guy Maddin, who also wrote the film's screenplay) at The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. The Saddest Music In The World, has good direction, a good adapted screenplay, good performances from everyone involved, good original music, good cinematography, good film editing, good production design, good set decoration, good costume design and good makeup. The Saddest Music In The World, is a great looking film. The film is in black and white and is grainy and made to look like a film made in the early 1900's and it really does (which may turn some viewers off). The actors also do a great job and all the people who worked behind the camera on the sets, costumes, makeup and cinematography should really be applauded. This is a really great looking film and is very well made. Other than being very impressed by the visuals and the way the film was made it really didn't do too much for me. The film is very offbeat and it has some very clever and sometimes brilliant scenes but the movie doesn't work as a whole. At times it gets confusing and pretty muddled and even boring at times. I liked what the film was trying to do and I think if it was a little more focused then it would have been a great film but the result we get is not. It's not a terrible film but I'am mostly rating it this high because of the film's visuals and the way it was made and not for the film itself.