Brand Upon the Brain!

Infobox Film
name = Brand Upon the Brain!


caption = Theatrical film poster
imdb_rating =
director = Guy Maddin
producer = The Film Company
writer = Guy Maddin
George Toles
starring = Sullivan Brown
Gretchen Krich
Maya Lawson
Erik Steffen Maahs
Katherine E. Scharhon
music = Jason Staczek
cinematography = Benjamin Kasulke
editing =
distributor =
released = Canada: September 8, 2006
United States: October 15, 2006
runtime = 99 minutes
country = United States / Canada
language = Silent
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.branduponthebrain.com/
amg_id = 1:358910
imdb_id = 0443455

"Brand Upon the Brain!" 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.

Plot

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 detectives Wendy and Chance Hale - brother and sister sleuths known as the "Lightbulb Kids" - visit the island to launch an investigation. Guy is weak-kneed as he falls for Wendy, while Sis is flushed with love 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.

Exhibition notes

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 .

Critical Reception

"Brand Upon the Brain!" currently has a 93% T-Meter rating and 100% Top Critic rating on RottenTomatoes.com [http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/brand_upon_the_brain/ Brand Upon the Brain] at RottenTomatoes.com, retrieved May 1, 2008] and a rating of 79/100 on the aggregration site Metacritic. [http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/branduponthebrain?q=brand%20upon%20the%20brain Brand Upon the Brain] at Metacritic, retrieved May 1, 2008]

Described in such terms as "a phantasmagoric story that could be a collaboration between Edgar Allan Poe and Salvador Dali" [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/REVIEWS/705170301 Robert Ebert's review] of Brand upon the Brain! from the Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved May 1, 2008] by Roger Ebert and "a feverishly imaginative Freudian vampire film" [http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/carrie_rickey/20070615_Now_grown__he_returns_to_explore_his_twisted_roots.html 'Now grown he returns to explore his twisted roots'] , review of Brand Upon the Brain!" by Carrie Rickey in the Philadelphia Inquirer, published June 15, 2007, retrieved May 1, 2008] 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, whilst applauding its peculiar aesthetic and humour. [http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/review/movie-review-brand-upon/163458/content Michael Philip's review] of Brand Upon the Brain! from the Chicago Tribune, published May 17, 2007, retrieved May 1, 2008] Negative criticisms of "Brand..." 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" [http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=10447 Boston Globe review] of Brand Upon the Brain! written by Ty Burr, published June 29, 2007, retrieved May 1, 2008] and the potentially gimmicky nature of the melodramatic themes of teenage lesbianism and voyeurism :

Familial melodrama absurdly slides into psychosexual misadventures with the entrance of a harp-playing teen detective, who disguises herself as her own twin brother (gender-bent lust!) while investigating the strange holes found in the heads of all the orphans (Cronenbergian penetration!). Vampirism, organ harvesting, "Lord of the Flies" primalism, and monstrous human resurrections soon bubble up from thick swamps of repression and secrecy. Seriously though, would any of this be half as outrageous without the voyeuristic jollies of staring at famous people in the flesh, each wishing aloud for a little keyhole to spy on two nubile lesbian lovers? [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0719,hillis,76589,20.html Village Voice review] of Brand Upon the Brain"' by Aaron Hillis, published May 1, 2007, retrieved May 1, 2008]

Awards

The film received a nomination for Best Visual Design at the 2008 Chlotrudis Awards, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443455/awards Awards] for Brand Upon the Brain! at the IMDB, retrieved May 1, 2008] although the award was eventually split between "Laberinto del Fauno" and "Paprika".

References

External links

*" [http://www.thefilmcompany.org/BUTB.html Brand Upon the Brain!] " at The Film Company
*imdb title|id=0443455
*amg title|id=1:358910
*" [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brand_upon_the_brain/ Brand Upon the Brain!] " at Rotten Tomatoes
*" [http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/branduponthebrain Brand Upon the Brain!] " at MetaCritic