This Unnameable Little Broom

January. 01,1985      
Rating:
7.1
Trailer Synopsis Cast

Stop-motion animated short film in which a puppet on a trike captures a puppet bird-man.

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Reviews

ShangLuda
1985/01/01

Admirable film.

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Sexyloutak
1985/01/02

Absolutely the worst movie.

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Donald Seymour
1985/01/03

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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Keeley Coleman
1985/01/04

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

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framptonhollis
1985/01/05

The opening credits cite this short as a strongly disguised adaptation of the ancient literary classic "The Epic of Gilgamesh", and the key word here is disguised. This film mainly peaked my interest not only because it was directed by the Brothers Quay, (and, having been a massive fan of Jan Svankmajer for a few years) whose work has interested me for quite some time now, but also because of my love for that ancient masterpiece. Readers of all ages: READ THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! It's thin as Hell, and is an action packed adventure epic layered with tragedy and philosophy. It's the earliest known work of literature, and yet its characters are well developed and fascinating.However, this is barely an adaptation of the classic. Instead, some of the events and characters merely (and mildly) symbolize those shown in the original boo. Instead of Gilgamesh, viewers will be exposed mostly to the eccentric creativity of the Brothers Quay, who fill the cinematic canvas with their unique and often unnerving animations. Sometimes mildly amusing, and other times quite unsettling, this brief short encapsulates the overall mood the Brothers Quay have mastered over the year quite well. The soundtrack is great, fitting the bizarre and enigmatic atmosphere extremely well, and the stop motion animation, as it is always with the work of masters like the Brothers Quay, is creepy, beautiful, and simply top notch!

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Horst in Translation ([email protected])
1985/01/06

"This Unnameable Little Broom" or "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is a 10-minute short film by the Brothers Quay, a pair of animated filmmakers that defined the genre in terms of short films in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in terms of darker animation and you can somehow see them as the American equivalent to Jan Svankmajer in terms of style. Sadly, I cannot say I am a great fan of their work and this one here does not change it a bit sadly. Very underwhelming watch about the story of a little broom. The music was probably still the nicest thing to it as it did a lot in terms of suspense and atmosphere. However, this cannot make up for the very forgettable story. I do not recommend checking it out. Thumbs down.

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kurosawakira
1985/01/07

This was originally meant to be a 52-minute film based on the Epic of Gilgamesh to involve live action, dance and animation. What we have now is a 11-minute film of the segment where Gilgamesh, setting up his traps, succeeds in trapping Enkidu with an elaborate table trap.I think it's almost a given that if one knows the Quays one is also acquainted with Švankmajer. It may be my too strong inclination to project my own subjective theories onto things, but I think his influence looms over this one strongly. While a very interesting film (I don't think the brothers have ever done anything uninteresting), I think the more their films started to swerve to their unknown paths of (often) black-and-white chaos the better.Not that this doesn't have that trademark sense of not only the surreal, nightmarish kind of dreaming, it already has that strong personal sense that makes one wonder whether these images have been taken from one's own subconscious. In their strangeness they are peculiarly familiar, and isn't that a sign of great art if anything? That we take the images as our own.This is available on DVD, a collection of their short films, and the brothers did a few audio commentaries for it, this being one of them. They are, personally, as endearing, interesting, intelligent and witty as artists get. And artists they are, and I'm so glad to have them around.

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Stables
1985/01/08

This is a fascinating little short that tells the tale of two incredibly fleshed out animated characters. One is a winged creature that falls into the trap of the other, a blond monster-person on a tricycle. It's not that simple, however. The imagery, though I don't profess to understand every last bit of it, was striking and surreal. This film targets the unconscious. It seeks to evoke a response through impressions and instinct. The animation is uncanny and beautiful, as these two characters are given grace, ferocity and emotion. The camera itself becomes an implement of the animation as it cuts frantically from side to side, with as much freedom as if a live-action scene were being filmed. This illusion is enhanced further by the deft focusing. This film must have taken such a tremendous amount of vision and effort, and the result is a commendable and evocative short film.

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