The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films Part 1 is a mesmerizing collection of short stop-motion animation films created by identical twin brothers, Stephen and Timothy Quay. The Quay Brothers are renowned for their dark, dreamlike films that blur the line between reality and imagination. The collection contains 15 short films that span over two decades of their career, showcasing their unique style and strong visual sensibility.
The collection begins with their earliest works, such as Nocturna Artificialia (1979), which captures the essence of night-time visions and is a testament to the brothers' early inspiration from European culture. The film presents a series of surreal images, such as distorted shadows of cathedral towers and the silhouettes of metal machines that move like dancing insects. It is a dark, mystical exploration of the nocturnal world and is a great example of the Quay Brother's early use of puppetry, handmade props, and dark imagery.
Another standout film in the collection is The Cabinet of Jan Å vankmajer: Et Cetera (1984), a tribute to the Czech film director Jan Å vankmajer, who is himself a master at crafting experimental stop-motion films. The Quay Brothers pay homage to him with their own surreal and disjointed sequence of events that takes place in a dark room full of eerily alive objects. The objects move by themselves, as if possessed, and they morph and twist in ways that defy the laws of physics.
One of the most memorable films from the collection is The Comb (1990), which is based on a Robert Walser poem. The film is a haunting meditation on memory and transformation, and it presents a visual language that matches the atmosphere of Walser's melancholic text. In the film, a woman sits at her vanity, combing her hair, while a man, seemingly a memory from her past, watches her through the window. The scene is set in a gothic atmosphere, with the woman's reflection appearing in the mirror as if it had a life of its own.
The Quay Brothers are known for their intricate use of mechanical objects, and their talents are showcased in films such as Street of Crocodiles (1986), one of their most well-known works. The film is an adaptation of Bruno Schulz's book of the same name, and it presents a dark and twisted world that is full of strange creatures and industrial machinery. The Quay Brothers use stop-motion animation to bring the objects to life, creating an eerie and surreal atmosphere that captivates the viewer.
Throughout the collection, the Quay Brothers showcase their mastery of stop-motion animation, using it to create intricate and meticulously detailed worlds that draw the viewer in. Their films are full of gothic imagery, surreal elements, and hints of decay and destruction, creating a world that is both distinctive and mystical.
Overall, The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films Part 1 is a must-see for anyone interested in experimental cinema or stop-motion animation. The films are haunting, dreamlike, and unforgettable, showcasing the Quay Brother's unique talent for crafting dark and atmospheric worlds that are both mesmerizing and unsettling.
