Product Description

Three phantasmagoric films on one DVD by the Canadian cult master! TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS is the most elaborate and surreal fantasia from the master of all things libidinal. Starring Shelley Duvall, Frank Gorshin, and Alice Krige (STAR TREK's Borg Queen), this tale of lusty delirium and unrequited love is set in the mystical land of Mandragora, a supremely sensual dream world which pulses with ethereal, vibrating colors and bizarre flourishes of art direction. ARCHANGEL is set in the Northernmost tip of old Imperial Russia in the winter of 1919. The Great War has been over for three months, but no one has remembered to tell those who remain in the town of Archangel. A weird and wild melodrama of obsessive love with stunning black-and-white cinematography and memorably stylized set design. Commissioned for the 25th Anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival, Maddin’s acclaimed, award-winning short THE HEART OF THE WORLD is a brilliant, breathless parody of silent Soviet propaganda films.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45171 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-26
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 181 minutes

Customer Reviews

Two out of three ain't bad
This contains two great films by one of our most original filmmakers working today, Archangel and The Heart of the World (at only about five minutes in length, this film alone is worth the purchase price of the set, in my opinion). It also contains one of the worst films I've ever seen by any director. (So you get both ends of his creative spectrum!)

If you're a little more adventurous in your movie choices, this is something worth your while to pick up as you get a good introduction to a great filmmaker.

A Great Collection!
No, I didn't care for "Twilight of the Ice Nymphs" the first time I saw it but I think I went in with certain dumb expectations like Mr. Maddin was not going to grow and experiment. A few viewings later and it's turned into a favorite. I appreciate the classic fairy-tale qualities, the cast is a hoot, and I love the dazzling over-saturated color--similar to what's used in a lot of modern TV commercials. It's really one of the most gorgeous-looking films I know of.

"Heart of the World" is a masterpiece and no one seems to dispute that. First time I managed to get a copy I watched it about twelve times in one evening. You'll never get the musical soundtrack out of your head. Go, Guy!

I had the pleasure of first seeing "Archangel" during its theatrical release. This is a film that's magical on the big screen. Standout moments (and there are many in this movie) like the bunnies in the battle trenches consistently reach the realm of the sublime. The scratchy, artificially aged soundtrack gives this film a hypnotic quality, perfect for such a dreamlike creation. Another wonderful Maddin product that gets better and better with time.

Just a thought: In a world where every creative decision seems to be made by lawyers, marketing drones, stockholders, Harvard MBAs, and a guy named Eisner, or, conversely, angry art-school types on illegal substances (and their fellow-travelers), Guy Maddin, along with the Brothers Quay, Pixar, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) and a handful of others are the keepers of the flame right now.

Noooooo!!!
"Archangel" is one of my favorite movies, but it's been changed for this collection. Two of the best scenes (rabbits in the trenches and attack of the huns) have been color-tinted. In other words, instead of Maddin's beautiful black and white, they are blue or red and white. It looks awful. New intertitle cards have also been added. Most of them try to make the story easier to follow, but too many of them try to be funny but fail. "Twilight" is Maddin's worst film, a failed experiment, but "Heart of the World" is one of his best. The commentaries are amusing, but you're not going to learn anything about the films from them. Maybe someday Criterion will release "Archangel" as it originally was.