Remove ads

Information

Year
2003
Runtime
100 min.
Director
Guy Maddin
Genres
Comedy, Musical
Rating *
7.2
Votes *
4,899
Checks
1,000
Favs
115
Dislikes
20
Favs/checks
11.5% (1:9)
Favs/dislikes
6:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Maddin really pushes the artifact nature of the look in The Saddest Music in the World, which could almost be an unrestored pre-Code film, with its grainy nitrate. It's the Depression in Canada, and Isabella Rossellini's rich beer heiress launches an international radio contest to find which country has the saddest music, the music most emblematic of the era. Competing for the jackpot are two brothers, one seemingly incapable of feeling sadness (Mark McKinney), the other sadness incarnate (Ross McMillan), both adopted by other countries (the U.S.A. and Serbia, respectively). From that musical premise perfectly at home in the 1930s, the film then hits up against Maddin's great themes, like questions of identity and memory, and his quirky humor. It's a heady blend of the bizarre, with strong musical numbers ridiculously commented on by people who look like the ancestors of the Pitch Perfect judges. Slip into a cool vat of suds and enjoy. 1 year 10 months ago
  2. the3rdman's avatar

    the3rdman

    What a great movie. What is it about? Sadness as performance, the ridiculousness of pathos, the absurdity of personal drama--maybe. Funny and weird but a bit hard to peg. 10 years 7 months ago
See all comments

Friends

Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!

Activity

  1. yeahmadman checked this movie 5 days 11 hours ago
See more activity

In 3 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #35 in TIFF's Top Canadian Films
    TIFF's Top Canadian Films's icon

    TIFF's Top Canadian Films

    35
  2. This movie ranks #96 in 366 Weird Movies
    366 Weird Movies's icon

    366 Weird Movies

    96
  3. This movie ranks #1047 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema's icon

    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    1047
View all lists this movie is in