In preparation for our screenings of the Quay Brothers on 35mm, we’ve compiled a selection of articles and reviews about the films as well as Christopher Nolan’s involvement with this new program.
Animation World Magazine’s Taylor Jessen interviewed the Quay Brothers back in 2006 for their first-ever U.S. appearance supporting of a program of their films. The interview touches on their choice to work overseas as well as their various influences.
The Guardian’s Jordan Hoffman frames a discussion between director Christopher Nolan and the Quay Brothers, the latest subject of Nolan’s short film. In hindsight to the brothers’ previous successes such as STREET OF CROCODILES and IN ABSENTIA, Nolan’s short film about them is highlighted as a celebration to their unique style.
Independent Film Quarterly’s Todd Konrad relates the Quay Brother’s short film collection as “instilling both awe and unease” to their audiences. Konrad discusses their unique sense of musical score, scale manipulation in their stop motion animations, and their films’ intimate atmosphere.
Indiewire’s Rodrigo Perez breaks down the short films presented in Nolan’s 35mm tour of some of the Quay Brothers’ most transformative works. With detailed accounts behind the making of IN ABSENTIA, THE COMB, and STREET OF CROCODILES, the review additionally includes Q&A snippets between Nolan and his subjects, the Quay brothers themselves.
Animation World Magazine’s Suzanne Buchan observes the unique style of the Quay Brothers and their careers of stop motion animation. She notes their influences found in Eastern European art and literature as well as classical music score. Buchan distinguishes their dreamlike mise-en-scène as a notable part of their style
Senses of Cinema’s James Rose reviews the upbringing of the Quay Brothers and their interaction with cinema and animation from an early age. Rose highlights their work STREET OF CROCODILES individually and THE PHANTOM MUSEUM as a whole collection. In addition, he discusses various motifs and symbolic images that occur across their filmography.
