Offscreen. Maddin Canada.

The Canadian film journal Offscreen tips its hat to fellow countryman Guy Maddin with four pieces, beginning with editor Donato Totaro's overview of his career, outlining his themes, techniques, style ("the archaic made [post]modern") and achievements as "Canada's only genuine cult director," but also reminding the reader that that doesn't necessarily mean all the projects he'd like to realize ever will be - "Wake Up, Canada!" is the final rallying cry on that one.

Totaro also reviews Maddin's From the Atelier Tovar: Selected Writings: "It may not be as eccentric as his films, but it remains an odd enough structural blend that includes real and pseudo autobiography, journal entry form, essayistic and conventional film criticism, film treatments, and artistic doodling."

The title of Roberto Curti's piece is relatively self-explanatory: "Transplant, Consumption, Death, Or: Disease, pathology and decay in Guy Maddin’s cinema." And while reviews often come off as an afterthought in journals, however unintentionally, Daniel Garrett's review of The Saddest Music in the World is probably the longest piece of the issue.

Instead, the caboose this issue, albeit one that fully pulls its own weight, is Michael Vesia's report on "Quintus," the first annual Montreal Italian Film Festival.

Posted by dwhudson at November 12, 2004 7:40 AM