The Saddest Music in the World
I doubt that a more original movie will grace our screens here this year, or at least my list. Guy Maddin is a Canadian director and this is his first film that I have seen. It is amazing in several respects. The first is that it is shot in black and white and made to look like a grainy 30’s movie. 
The next is the style of the movie – a sort of cross between newsreel, melodrama and musical. Then you have the story – a brewery owner from Winnipeg who decides to put up money for the world’s saddest music contest. But she is no ordinary gal – she lost both her legs in an accident , then there is a plethora of weird family and friends – everything is parody or invention and it really gives you a good giggle on the way. Then we have the acting. Isabella Rossellini is excellent as Lady Helen 
and is ably supported by Mark McKinney as Chester, David Fox and Maria de Medeiros. 
A witty and unpredictable but coherent script by Maddin and George Toles tops it off. The film is not without its flaws – the pacing is rather uneven and some of the gore did not exactly go down well with the audience I saw the film with (and raises issues as to how well the gags come off) but it is definitely a breath of fresh air and a film to be appreciated for its variety and humour.
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