Brand Upon The Brain! (Guy Maddin, 2006)

[Antoine Doinel]

The Guy Maddin fans on the board might be interested in the pretty awesome group of people he has lined up to narrate this film (among some other pretty ambitious stuff) during live screenings.

From Pitchforkmedia:

Lou Reed, TVOTR's Adebimpe to Narrate Maddin Film

Guy Maddin-- Winnipeg wonder and cinema auteur, known for marrying the gauzy aesthetic of the silent era with MTV-age pacing and spectacle-- returned last fall with perhaps his most ambitious project yet: the semi- autobiographical fantasy bonanza Brand Upon the Brain!! (first exclamation his; second, mine).

In order to give Brain! the appropriately over-the-top showings it deserves in 2007, Maddin has enlisted the aid of Foley artists, castrati (men who sing in very, very high voices), a full-on orchestra, and a rotating cast of ace celebrity narrators, including a few folks who sometimes also dabble in that music stuff: Lou Reed, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, and beloved performance artist Laurie Anderson.

Each grabs the mic for one of Brain!'s upcoming New York screenings, which also boast renowned poet John Ashbery, cult actor Crispin Glover, and Maddin's favorite starlet Isabella Rossellini (whose narration also graces the film's recorded soundtrack).

Chicago gets two nights and two matinees with Crispin Glover (booya!), while filmmaker Joan Chen provides the voiceover to the San Francisco screening. Maddin has not yet announced the special guest narrator(s) for a quartet of Los Angeles happenings.

A full list of screenings and live narrators lies ahead, and director Maddin himself will appear at the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles events.

Narrators by city:

San Francisco screening (at Castro Theater):

05-07 Joan Chen (8 p.m.)

New York screenings (at Village East Cinemas):

05-09 Crispin Glover (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)
05-10 Anne Jackson (7 p.m.)
05-10 Eli Wallach (9:30 p.m.)
05-11 Joie Lee (7 p.m.)
05-11 Crispin Glover (9:30 p.m.)
05-12 Laurie Anderson (7 p.m.)
05-12 Lou Reed (9:30 p.m.)
05-13 Justin Bond (3 p.m.)
05-13 John Ashbery (7 p.m.)
05-13 Tunde Adebimpe (9:30 p.m.)
05-14 Edward Hibbert (7 p.m.)
05-14 Peter Scarlet (9:30 p.m.)
05-15 Isabella Rossellini (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)

Chicago screenings (at Music Box Theatre):

05-18 Crispin Glover (7:30 p.m.)
05-19 Crispin Glover (2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
05-20 Crispin Glover (2:30 p.m.)

Los Angeles screenings (at Egyptian Theatre):

06-08 TBA (7:30 p.m.)
06-09 TBA (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)
06-10 TBA (7:30 p.m.)

[zedz]

It's a great film, quite possibly his best yet, and more in the fever-dream mould of Cowards Bend the Knee than his bigger (and in my opinion more sluggish) productions like Twilight of the Ice Nymphs or The Most Beautiful Music in the World. The narrative is as demented as ever, and powerfully overloaded - very rapid montage, flashed intertitles, plus narration, all piling on simultaneous layers. Stylistically, its primary model is French Impressionism (particularly Kirsavov and Epstein), but it's equally indebted to the mid-century American avant-garde (Deren, Broughton, Brakhage, Mekas, Anger). It's a mile-a-minute blast!

[Barmy]

He needs to stop doing silent film pastiche. I'd like to see the Eli Wallach one, however.

[mikeohhh]

Damn, if only there were more than four cities in America!!!

[Via_Chicago]

Damn, if only there were more than four cities in America!!!

Hey four is a big step up from two!

[David Ehrenstein]

Caught a press screening last night, in the version that's going into general release. If the Marx Bros. had made Vampyr it would have come out looking like this. Great imaginative fun.

[MichaelB]

He needs to stop doing silent film pastiche.

Why? Especially given what happened the one time he actually took that advice - Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, his most conventional film to date, being a more or less unmitigated disaster.

In fact, when I saw Maddin discussing it on stage in London, he spent much of the time apologising to the audience for making them sit through it!

[Barmy]

Actually I thought "Twilight" had its moments. Is there something wrong with versatility? "Brand" adds little new to his usual catalogue of obsessions. And without the presentation gimmick it would be pretty dull. For me one of the tests of a good film is the desire to see it at least twice. For the last 3 or 4 Maddins (I've lost count), I feel like I've already seen the film the first time around.

[vogler]

Is there something wrong with versatility? "Brand" adds little new to his usual catalogue of obsessions. And without the presentation gimmick it would be pretty dull. For me one of the tests of a good film is the desire to see it at least twice. For the last 3 or 4 Maddins (I've lost count), I feel like I've already seen the film the first time around.

It's a matter of personal taste really. I've seen Cowards Bend the Knee at least 5 times and I'll probably watch it again soon. The Saddest Music in the World I've seen twice and I really like it a lot. I don't think Maddin's style is a gimmick. He has an absolute passion for films of the silent and early sound eras and I think he is of the opinion that some of the greatest visual aesthetics and techniques were achieved during this time (an opinion I share). There's no reason for all of this to be relegated to the past.

I have a feeling I'm going to love Brand Upon The Brain!

[David Ehrenstein]

My favorite is still Sissy-Boy Slap Party.

[Jeff]

Here are the scheduled screenings for the general release version. You'll be pleased to know that the U.S. now contains six cities (one of them is Denver, which is all that matters). More cities (supposedly) to be added soon.

[montgomery]

Saw this on Saturday with Lou Reed narrating. Lou fell asleep about two-thirds into it. I'm not kidding.

Can't say it was Maddin's best film, but it was one of the most exciting times I've had at a film screening in--years? The foley artists were especially amazing to watch.

[Lemmy Caution]

Say more!
Details?
And how was Lou during the first 2/3rds?

[Barmy]

Also, is it playing in a decent size theater at the Village East? I've seen this but might go again tomorrow to see Isabella. I'm still pissed that I forgot to check out Eli Wallach.

[montgomery]

It's playing in the largest theatre at Village East, though only the balcony has seating, because the floor has the orchestra/foley artists. It was a nice space for it, but get there early!

Lou was okay during the first 2/3rds. Occasionally he read in the sarcastic, mocking voice that you hear in his songs sometimes (i.e. "My hero, do you think I could meet him? I camp out at his front door.") Other times, he was somewhat effective, but it was definitely hit-or-miss. About an hour into it, I wondered why I hadn't heard any narration, and so I looked over at Lou, whose head was resting on his chest, and whose arms were flopped to the side. Every now and then there would be a loud noise from the foley artists, and he would jolt awake, and 5 seconds later, he'd nod off again. He was reading (or supposed to be reading) from a TV monitor that had the film + subtitles, and I could see, when I looked over, when he was missing his cue (watching Lou Reed sleep was fun for me, for some reason). At one point, he suddenly woke up and started speaking gibberish, then corrected himself and read the line correctly. After that, he never spoke again. Ah, live performances.

The foley artists, my god--looks like the most fun job in the world. These guys were amazing. It was like watching the most skilled orchestra in the universe, to say nothing of the great orchestra being conducted right next to them.

I think the film will definitely suffer with the pre-recorded soundtrack. It was not my favorite Maddin film by a longshot, though it had many inspired moments, and brilliant editing throughout. If you're in NY though, you'd be crazy to miss it.

[Barmy]

Many thanks. I'm familiar with that theater. It is awesome if you are toward the front of the balcony.

[patrick]

My friend saw one of the New York showings and said it was one of the best artistic experiences of his life and well worth the $30 ticket (I'm honestly surprised it was that cheap). He didn't mention who the narrator was, but I don't think it was any of the "big" names.