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SAY HEY FOR THE BROTHERS QUAY COLLECTION! From Kino Video

If you take the most enigmatic dreams you’ve ever had and try to assemble them into a workable coherent structure and then put them into the form of puppet animation you will most likely have something very odd, creepy and messy. But if you then add some references to Eastern European literature with a twisted Kafkaesque psychological element along with the sepia look of a dusty old closet out of Dickens’ England and a dash of Victorian surrealism you might have something resembling the short films of The Brothers Quay.

The Brothers Quay (Stephen and Timothy) are identical twins who hail from Pennsylvania (now living in England) but you’d think they came from some dark former Communist country where philosophical ideas fester and wait for decades to see the light of day. They have been the most unique puppet animators in the U.S. for a couple of decades and their numerous short films have played at festivals, on television in Europe and occasionally on MTV. One thing is certain: their work is so good and so mysterious that once you’ve seen them you’ll want to see them again and again. Their short films reside in cramped, eerily hermetic netherworlds with characters that often look like they’ve just crawled out from under the cobblestone of some ancient street in Prague. The worlds they create also feature rusty objects, 19th Century mechanical bric-a-brac and various eccentric gadgets that take on a life of their own. Part of the magic of their films lies in the dreamy, repetitive, metronome-like movements that are inherent in these various characters and objects. The logic of the Quay’s films seems to be totally thrown out, but upon closer inspection they have their own wacky internal fairy tale logic like the world of the surrealists. At times their work suggests an arcane music video crossed with a George Pal "puppetoon" thought up by a doll house collector on acid. I’m not sure you’ll understand them fully. Then again I’m not sure the Brothers understand them fully. Anyway, I wouldn’t encourage you to try and figure them out entirely either because half the fun is the mystery of their meaning. The other half is enjoying the Brother’s brilliant craftsmanship and the way they load their films with an impressive array of impressionistic, intricate inventiveness.

There is little demand for experimental films on DVD but it’s a good thing Kino Video doesn’t wait until there is demand to release a film. Kino is one of the few companies that attempts to create a demand based on their own tastes. Fortunately for us they have good taste and they are releasing The Brother’s Quay collection on DVD.

The DVD features 10 short films that range from 1 to 21 minutes. Here is a small blurb about each short. THE CABINET OF JAN SVANKMAJER -- This short is an homage to the great Czech puppet animator Jan Svankmajer. It has a character with an open book -- made to look like hair on his head -- teaching an empty headed doll about the ways of the world. THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH -- This interesting short involves a comical character on a tricycle attempting to lay a trap with a cricket as bate to capture an evil-looking winged character. STREET OF CROCODILES -- This brilliant short has an inquisitive character perambulating and exploring a decaying underworld, who is taken in by a band of empty headed dolls that give him a makeover. DRAMOLET (STILLE NACHE I) -- This film, commissioned by MTV, is sort of a magnet commercial that features thousands of hair-like metal shavings marching along to a large square magnet. THE COMB (FROM THE MUSEUMS OF SLEEP) -- A woman sleeps and in her dream (or in an alternative universe) an empty headed doll (again) tries to crawl up a ladder into an odd flat landscape. REHEARSALS FOR EXTINCT ANATOMIES -- This is the most abstract film of the bunch but it’s a beauty. Various characters including one man of twisted wire exist in a world where a bunch of proof of purchase bar codes turn into string and pervade the area. ANAMORPHOSIS -- This short is an informative documentary about anamorphosis, which is a painting phenomenon of the 15th and 16th Centuries that involves the tricks painters play with hidden meanings through perspectives in their paintings. ARE WE STILL MARRIED (STILLE NACHE II) -- A music video featuring the band "His Name is Alive" that alludes to Alice in Wonderland and features a rabbit, a little girl doll and a vexatious Ping-Pong ball. TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS (STILLE NACHE III) -- A short with a bullet flying through a dark forest and long spoons that hold the bullets. CAN’T GO WRONG WITHOUT YOU (STILLE NACHE IV) -- Another music video by "His Name is Alive" and features the rabbit and the girl again, but also has a demon-looking character who is trying to steal an egg belonging to the rabbit through a key hole. The supplements include a very short interview with The Brothers as well as their first short film NOCTURNA ATRIFICIALIA, which isn’t as accomplished as the other films but is of interest. There is also an excellent essay by Michael Atkinson on the inside cover. The supplements are slim but there’s not much that can be said because, really, the short films speak for themselves and everybody gleans their own interpretation anyway. The DVD has a good video transfer considering many of their films are dark and the sound isn’t of the highest quality, but then again the Brothers Quay don’t make films that require Dolby surround sound. All in all, a collection of films well worth having especially if you’re serious about dreams or movies or both. -- Matt Langdon