The Saddest Music in the World

Last year Rotterdam audiences were able to become closely acquainted with the absurd and brilliant cinematographic caprices of Guy Maddin. His latest extravaganza, the musical and melodramatic comedy The Saddest Music in the World, has everything you would expect of Maddin: filmed in the style of the silent film, making widespread use of peepholes, celluloid in all shapes and sizes, colour filters, ingenious decors, Vaseline on the lens and of course major doses of memory loss, conflicts between father and son and romantic intrigues. Drinking a beer in times of crisis is tastier with a sad song in the background, which is why a legless barmaid, baroness Lady Helen Port-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini playing an unusual role up to the hilt) launches a contest for the saddest music in the world. The American entry is by Chester, a failed Broadway impresario, and Narcissa, a nymphomaniac suffering -here it comes -memory loss. Chester discovers he is competing against his father Fyodor, who represents Canada and as a drunken doctor once amputated Lady Helen’s legs. Finally Chester’s brother Roderick turns up, disguised as a Serbian contestant. Chester is willing to go to all ends: he unscrupulously works his way through all his opponents. In other words, Guy Maddin in his most delirious form.