TWIGHLIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS |
| CREDITS: Director: Guy Maddin Cast: Nigel Whitman, Pascale Bussieres, Shelley Duvall,
Frank Gorshin, Alice Krige & R.H. Thomson Canada 1997 INTRODUCTION: More weirdness from those Kooky Canadians, as Maddin provides us with a slice of surrealism. SYNOPSIS: Returning home to Mandragora from years of incarceration Peter (Whitman) faces difficulties re-adjusting to life on the Ostrich farm. His sister Amelia (Duvall) has fallen for the sinister Dr. Solti (Thomson), farm hand Cain (Gorshin) schemes to take over the farm, and last but not least Peter is in love with two women, the mysterious Julianna (Bussieres), and the wood nymph Zephyr (Krige). REVIEW: At times reminiscent of a Shakespearean comedy, the film never-the-less entertains, annoys and confuses with equal propensity. Loosely based on Knut Hamsun's novel "Pan" the film is a worthy successor to Maddin's previous productions "Tales from the Gumli Hospital", "Archangel" and "Careful" and indicates a new level of maturity in the director's first true colour film. The entire cast is excellent, it's good to see stalwarts Duvall ("The Shinning" & "Popeye") and Gorshin (The Riddler in TV's "Batman") on top Form. Thomson is excellent as the villain straight out of a German expressionist film of the 20s, Bussieres and Krige ("Star Trek: First Contact") have harder tasks as the purposely ill defined competitors for Peter's affections, but are none the less admirable as is Whitman who withdrew his name from the film, look for the noticeable jump in the titles, when Maddin had all his dialogue re-dubbed. The studio bound sets, reminiscent of Ridley Scott's "Legend" are sumptuously unrealistic, an effect superbly complimented by the soft focus cinematography and 40s style colours. A truly magical experience. Mutt's Rating: **** |