User Reviews

The Quays are American-born identical twin animators who work out of London but whose work has a strong Eastern European flavor. I first came across their work one late night on a PBS station while channel surfing. It took about three seconds to realize I was watching something that was an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind experience. "Street of Crocodiles" was a strange epic in miniature, depicting a subterranean world where wooden dolls are brought to life through impossibly graceful stop-motion animation. In it, a silent man explores this enchanting but virtually unknowable place of brownish shop interiors and inanimate objects set into symbolic motion through the wonders of reverse time lapse photography. This Kafkaesque type of journey is typical of the Quays' work. Oftentimes their art seems to be a what a visualization of the subconscious would look like--and oftentimes it's just as hard to decipher.

This collection is so valuable because for so long the Quay Brothers have been under-represented on video. Another gem included here is "The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer", named after the Czech animator who is their biggest influence ("Alice", his fabulist revision of the Wonderland story, is also not to be missed). "Cabinet", a parable of a child's education, is more lighthearted than most of their work and is filled with some of the brothers' most sumptuous visual poetry. "Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies" and their pieces on painting and opera are also great. Not for everyone, but adventurous lovers of film, animation and the avant-garde should not miss out on the bizarre and beautiful world of the Quay Brothers. And with this comprehensive collection available, there's no reason not to.

Once again I'm surprised to see only a small handful of comments on IMDb for a film (or, collection of films, in this case) that deserves much more attention than it gets.

Brothers Quay Collection features something in the order of a dozen stop-motion shorts of the nightmarish persuasion. The images are disturbing, haunting, frightening, mainly I think because they seem to strike a chord in the viewer that seldom resonates but is there.

I rented this on a lark, being a fan of animation in general and came away totally impressed. I believe the videos by Tool were mere knock-offs with only stylistic similarities that don't even begin to scratch the surface of this stuff. Prepare for something thought-provoking (without pretension), ultimately frustratingly difficult to decipher.Like another viewer admitted, I find myself lost: there is a much deeper meaning to all of this running just below the surface, if only Icould just figure it all out! Though self-defeating, I would've loved a commentary track on this DVD!

Oh, and the included documentary on art history, and the hidden images and messages in renaissance paintings is a nice parable to the hidden meanings of their works and will interest most anyone.

After having read this from the previous poster...

>"Once again I'm surprised to see only a small handful of comments on IMDb for a film (or, collection of films, in this case) that deserves much more attention than it gets."<

I felt compelled to join the very small group of reviewers, out of solidarity. :-) I'm not going to try to analyze this unique work, it's far beyond my reach. Audiovisual evocative art is at its peak here, and when I meet such talent, I tend to keep my mouth shut (from absolute awe), which explains why I never commented on the Quay shorts despite I'm extremely fond of them.

So I'll just say that: I LOVE these shorts. They challenge me, upset me, scare the living daylights out of me, and make me feel like an ant with no artistic talent whatsoever (I'm a musician, and incidentally discovered the Quay brothers through a video for the band "His name is alive"). No, I'm not a masochist (*LOL*). This gives me inspiration, feeds my imagination and helps me carry on creating, taking risks, instead of just trying to be "good" at what I do. I find these animated pieces as weird and marvelous as my most wild dreams. And as frightening as my worst nightmares.

The only other audiovisual work (that I know of) that comes close in terms of oniric, dream-like substance is Lynch's "Eraserhead". I'd say any fan of Eraserhead MUST take a look at the Quay bros. shorts, and vice-versa. Kudos.

pulsating in a twisted and frenzied world of the Nightmare Before Christmas but with every molecule of Disney sucked out and replaced with a permeated sense of pessimism and dread, these well made stop motion shorts are a delight to watch. in the new DVD format they shine even brighter. one may slow them down and look for layer upon layer of past film and literature and art references and even a few cultural technological references. kafka is the most frequently evoked influence on these films but the mellon collie poe is equally lurking beneath the surface. simply amazing to watch how ever detail is meticulously crafted to lead the viewers eye as though on a leash.

fans of the rock band tool will recognize these as the basis for their own collection of video's with special emphasis on earlier album's videos. this should be required viewing in nearly any arts program as perfect example of form and technique as well as an example of atmospheric motifs. the short documentary named anamorphisis also serves as a catalyst for forming an interest in art history for those who do not already have it. simply wonderful. flawless 10 out of 10

Having been a long time fan of Jan Svankmejer's animation, I finally checked out the Brothers Quay. I'd have to say that I think their work is far more interesting than a lot of Svankmajer's. (Altho he has some amazing pieces) I was floored by the detail and vision that their work shows. Absolutely amazing and incredible beautiful work! Wonderfully surreal sets and characters. Buy it for your collection!

TALES OF THE BROTHERS QUAY is a superb bundle of stop-motion wonders. Watching these short films back-to-back is like glimpsing the daily lives of denizens of some alternate universe. A place with rules that don't apply to our dimension.

Watching them for the first time, I was lost in trying to "figure them out". It's far better to simply sit back and enjoy them for the magical treasures they are.

The quays have created a miniature world of mystery and dark beauty that defies explanation. Like all of the best dreams and nightmares, the images remain long after the substance has faded.

Those pins, screws, and especially that madly twitching eye, will never be forgotten...

TALES OF THE BROTHERS QUAY is a superb bundle of stop-motion wonders. Watching these short films back-to-back is like glimpsing the daily lives of denizens of some alternate universe. A place with its own rules, not subject to our own.

The first time watching them, I was lost in trying to "figure them out". It's far better to simply enjoy them for the magical treasures they are. The Quays have constructed a miniature world of mystery and dark beauty that defies explanation. Like all of the best dreams and nightmares, the images remain long after the substance has faded.

Those pins, screws, and especially that madly twitching eye will never be forgotten...

"The Films of the Brothers Quay" is a incredible collection shorts, and it was my very first contact with the work of this Stephen and Timothy Quay, two animators heavily influenced by Jan Svankmajer( In fact, the first film included in this collection, "The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer" is an exquisite homage to that Czech animator) However, as this collection of shorts shows, the works made by the Quay Brothers quickly developed their own style, being lyrical and haunting at the same time.

From the eerie beauty of "Street of Cocodriles" to the whimsical, dream-like "Stille Nacht" shorts ("Dramolet", "Are we Still Married?" "Tales From Vienna Woods" and "Can't Go Wrong Without You") each one of the works included in this selection shows an incredible artistic quality, filled with intense poetry and unforgettable images.

I highly recommend "The Films of the Brothers Quay". The ten shorts included here are each one a triumph of its own, and it shows how artistic and beautiful non-mainstream animation could be.

10/10

I appreciate the high quality surreal animation, but was otherwise disappointed by this. Nearly all of the imagery comes from Jan Svankmajor, without Svankmajor's wit, whimsy, and story telling abilities. "Street Of The Crocodiles, which I had heard...(read more)...(read more) so much about, was beautiful and ephemeral, it just didn't touch on any new nerves for me. However those who enjoy the more abstract side of animation may find this right up their alley, but if your looking for macabre, literate, Rube Goldbergian animation with storytelling to match it's visual lushness, I would try some "an Svankmajor short films, otherwise this is all you.

I first saw the works of these brothers in 1990. I thought there style of animation was so different then what I had seen before. Although these twin brother directors are American you could not see it in there work. It looked very eastern European, as if it had come out of some Soviet block TV series. While the short films on this DVD make little sense or follow any story line, there are visually fascinating to look at. Some times the imagery is disturbing to look at. If dolls had nightmares this is what they might look like. I can't say I liked their work, but I do feel it is ground breaking visually interesting and creative. This is not for those with a passing fancy in stop-motion animation.