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Extremely
influential but not widely known for their stop motion animation,
the Quay twins have produced some of the most disturbing and enticing
imagery on film from the mid-80s. From their studio in London, Stephen
and Timothy Quay have made a dozen subtly frightening short films
that will look familiar to watchers of music videos, as the Quay
style has weaved itself into the psyche of many animators.
Their
best known work is the 21-minute "The Street of the Crocodiles",
which was a large influence on the Tarsem film "The Cell"
in his dream sequence production design. Like all Quay films, there
is no standard narrative, sometimes infuriating the user to analyze
what exactly is going on. In live action, a caretaker of a collection
of miniature tableaux peers into the tiny street set portraying
a decaying communist-era street of fashion goods.
"The
Street of Crocodiles"
The
action then changes to stop motion animation. A man wanders a deserted
street, peering into dusty windows containing disintegrating products,
mannequins that move. Bolts unscrew themselves from the pavement
and roll away. A little boy teases him from beyond the glass. There
are elements of horror, but it's played out at a leisurely pace,
slowly building a macabre but beautiful sensation.
"The
Epic of Gilagamesh"
Although
the first impression most get to a Brothers Quay film is the extreme
detail of the 'sets'. But moreso, the wonderful tiny camera movements,
quick pans and dollies that throw your eye at one odd corner after
another. It's disconcerting but building a rhythm.
The
Quays are great fantasists, building through their imagery and their
bite-sized conceptualizing worlds that occupy tiny corners of, a
dresser or a diorama, or a cupboard, that also suggest a scale.
In "The Comb", the dresser of a sleeping woman comes alive.
A man-like creature tries to stack ladders that will bring him up
into the roots of a tree that is growing through the ceiling above
him. But he never succeeds. In "The Epic of Gilagamesh"
a nasty 'officer' rides a bicycle in a room where he has set a trap
for a flying creature. These are some of the strongest and strangest
visualizations you will see on film.
Also
needing mention is the strong musical accompaniment that is consciously
worked into each piece as a builder of suspense. Strange then that
their pieces made specifically as music videos (appearing on MTV)
aren't as compelling as their original works that have less music
production, often only sparse strings.
On
DVD.
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