| Brand Upon the Brain! | |
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Theatrical film poster |
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| Directed by | Guy Maddin |
| Produced by | The Film Company |
| Written by | Guy Maddin George Toles |
| Starring | Sullivan Brown Gretchen Krich Maya Lawson Erik Steffen Maahs Katherine E. Scharhon |
| Music by | Jason Staczek |
| Cinematography | Benjamin Kasulke |
| Release date(s) | Canada: September 8, 2006 United States: October 15, 2006 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States / Canada |
| Language | Silent |
Brand Upon the Brain! A Remembrance in 12 Chapters is a 2006 silent film directed by Guy Maddin and produced by The Film Company. It premiered on September 8, 2006, at the Toronto International Film Festival with live accompaniment of the score by members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, several foley artists, and a narrator. Shot on location in Seattle, it is Maddin's first film made outside of Canada.
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Together with his teenage sister and a horde of orphans, young Guy Maddin lazes away his under-stimulated youth on the mysterious island he will someday inherit. In the lighthouse orphanage in which they all live, their every move is watched over by their overbearing and tyrannical mother while their father, a scientist and inventor, works away secretively in the basement.
When new adoptive parents discover mysterious head wounds on their children, teen detective Wendy Hale - one half of a famous brother and sister sleuth team known as the "Lightbulb Kids" - visits the island to launch an investigation. Guy is weak-kneed as he falls for Wendy, however a game of spin the bottle with Sis awakens homosexual feelings in Wendy. She then disguises herself as her sleuth brother Chance. Sis falls for Chance, a love which must be kept from Mother at all costs. As the investigation progresses, the kids are led into the darkest regions of revelation and repression as the terrible secrets of Guy's family are revealed.
As a silent film, "Brand..." does not possess a pre-recorded musical or Foley soundtrack. Instead, it has been presented with live musical accompaniment and narration at the festivals where it has been shown. At its Toronto International Film Festival premiere in September 2006, the original score was performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with narration by Louis Negin. At the New York Film Festival in October 2006, the film was narrated by actress Isabella Rossellini and accompanied by the Sospeso Collective. Rossellini also narrated at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2007, where the score was played by the Volkswagen Orchestra. All live orchestra performances were conducted by the score's composer, Jason Staczek.
In June 2007 a version of the film with recorded soundtrack and narration by Rossellini opened in limited theatrical release. It was released on DVD in August 2008 by The Criterion Collection and feature narrative tracks performed by Isabella Rossellini, Laurie Anderson, John Ashbery, Louis Negin, Crispin Glover, Eli Wallach, and Maddin himself.
"Brand Upon the Brain!" currently has a 93% T-Meter rating and 91% Top Critic rating on RottenTomatoes.com[1] and a rating of 79/100 on the aggregration site Metacritic.[2]
Described in such terms as "a phantasmagoric story that could be a collaboration between Edgar Allan Poe and Salvador Dali"[3] by Roger Ebert and "a feverishly imaginative Freudian vampire film"[4] by Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the film is frequently described as 'experimental' due to its unusual structure and style. Some critics strongly imply that its appeal is not particularly mainstream,[3] whilst applauding its peculiar aesthetic and humour.[5] Negative criticisms of "Brand Upon the Brain!" also focus on the film's unique design, but point out the wearying quality of the chaotic parade of different images in Maddin's "hyper-aggressive visual style"[6] and the potentially gimmicky nature of the melodramatic themes of teenage lesbianism and voyeurism.[7]
The film received a nomination for Best Visual Design at the 2008 Chlotrudis Awards,[8] although the award was eventually split between Laberinto del Fauno and Paprika.
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