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London Film Festival 2003
It's difficult not to have Maddin's brilliant "Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary" in mind when watching this film, and it suffers from the comparison. "The Saddest Music In The World" is, like Dracula, interesting, intriguing, funny, and visually audacious, but it is also far too long and slightly uneven. From the little of Maddin's work I've seen, this feature is typically mad; and I mean that it the best possible way. The story is set in depression era Winnipeg, where – as part of a money scam - a competition is set up for the saddest music in the world. Cue some very funny knockout battles between different countries battling for supremacy in sorrow. The whole thing is shot in an extremely grainy black & white (with the odd segment in colour), and using the language of films of the 20s and 30s, though in a way that makes it quite contemporary. Maddin is quite literally a genius at this. It has to be seen to be believed. The director managed to get Isabella Rossellini for one of the lead roles – as a baroness with no legs! The screenplay is based on a script by Kazuo Ishiguro, and it was a pleasant surprise to have him, as well as Madden, present at the screening. Worth seeing, though it is too long, even at 99 minutes.
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