A more thoughtful review of this movie is to come. For the time being, suffice it to say that "Cremaster 3" is one of the most visually stunning films ever made. Its narrative is unusual in the extreme, and the auteur's attitude toward the material is never clear. Chock full of provocative symbolism, it is, thus, both wonderful material for the thoughtful viewer and the paranoid schizophrenic. In fact, Matthew Barney has utterly blurred the line between the brilliant and the insane and this is part of his genius. It's too bad that he is best known for impregnating Bjork; he's a far greater artist than his baby momma will ever be.
Have you ever seen cinema that made you tell a friend, "I can't really describe it to you, or even what I liked about it, but you have to see it.... It's an experience you will NEVER forget"? For now, that's the best that I can tell you, except to say that the Cremaster series may be an example of a kind of art that heretofore has not been seen in the art. Until now, it has been limited the staid confines of white-walled galleries in the form of "video installations." Unlike Schnabel's films, there is no attempt here by the artist to "work within the confines of the medium" and give you something familiar with a twist. This is mindblowing stuff, and if you don't have the opportunity to see it in a theater, you have really missed out.
As a final note, you really ought to see the full series in its proper order: 4, 1, 5, 2, 3. If that looks like a Mensa test, question... well, it just might be. And do a bit of research on the term "cremaster" before you see it. It might help you to understand some of the ups and downs you experience in seeing it, as well as the unusual fecundity of its creator.
Have you ever seen cinema that made you tell a friend, "I can't really describe it to you, or even what I liked about it, but you have to see it.... It's an experience you will NEVER forget"? For now, that's the best that I can tell you, except to say that the Cremaster series may be an example of a kind of art that heretofore has not been seen in the art. Until now, it has been limited the staid confines of white-walled galleries in the form of "video installations." Unlike Schnabel's films, there is no attempt here by the artist to "work within the confines of the medium" and give you something familiar with a twist. This is mindblowing stuff, and if you don't have the opportunity to see it in a theater, you have really missed out.
As a final note, you really ought to see the full series in its proper order: 4, 1, 5, 2, 3. If that looks like a Mensa test, question... well, it just might be. And do a bit of research on the term "cremaster" before you see it. It might help you to understand some of the ups and downs you experience in seeing it, as well as the unusual fecundity of its creator.