Strings
by Anders Rønnow Klarlund
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Catherine McCormack, Derek Jacobi, Ian Hart, James McAvoy, Julian GloverDirector: Anders Rønnow Klarlund
Brand: Genius
Writer: Anders Rønnow Klarlund
Producer: Aage Aaberge
Producer: Axel Helgeland
Producer: Jan Blomgren
Producer: Kate Barry
Producer: Mike Downey
Writer: Naja Marie Aidt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-16
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product features:
- Strings is a mythological story about the son of a king, Hal Tara, who sets out on a journey to revenge the death of his father. To his surprise he discovers the truth of his own people - and where he least expects it - he finds true love. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN Rating: NR Age: 720917546322 UPC: 720917546322 Manufacturer No: FLV5463
Movie Reviews of Strings
Movie Review: Astonishing. Poetic. Moving.
Summary: 5 Stars
I guarantee you have never seen anything like this.
This is an epic fairy tale, with kings and princesses and swordfights and quests and romance and betrayal and death and...
...marionettes?
Yup. The whole movie is acted by marionettes with limited facial movement, but seemingly infinite physical limitations.
I was startled by the opening sequence. An elderly king sits over his desk, in the rain, writing a suicide letter to his son. My first thought was that it was a bit over-dramatic to have "rain" on the inside of his castle, but I went with it. As I carefully followed along to his voice-over, about the two warring civilizations and the ability of his son to unify the country, I saw this king raise his sword over his head...
...and cut his head-string. Dead.
I sat goggle-eyed for the next 90 minutes, seeing things I really couldn't believe.
Beautiful shots of strings ascending to the heavens...(I thought, so THAT'S why it was raining indoors. There are no ceilings)...swordfights with warriors aiming for the strings...marionette SURGERY that was horrifying to me, a surgeon!
The plot in and of itself is a fairly standard one: nothing new if you've ever read a classic fairy tale or your basic Shakespeare.
But the addition of these...these "strings'...enables the filmmakers to comment on the nature of God, the connectivity between one another, the fragility of life...even the mischief between two children.
...the birth scene was surprisingly touching. As was a death scene involving a frail old man. The way they re-interpret life and death with "string" theory is simply beautiful.
There is imagination and creativity in this film at a level I don't think I've ever seen. We're talking Peter Jackson/Steven Spielberg-type cinematic creativity, but also with ingenious storytelling and astonishing visuals.
And as you'd expect, the technical puppetry here is beyond belief. The way they get the tilt of a head or a shrug of a shoulder just right. It's amazing. Couple with vocal work by Sir Derek Jacobi, Catherine McCormack and others, you soon stop noticing that the marionettes' mouths do not move. You get THAT carried away with this.
The final scene was poetic in its' simplicity and beauty.
Please check out this movie. It will be SO worth your time.
Summary of Strings
Anders Rønnow Klarlund's stunning new film imagines a mythical kingdom populated entirely by stringed puppets. The Emperor of Hebalon dies a dramatic death, taking a terrible secret to the grave with him. His young son, Hal Tara, is set to take over the throne, however, his uncle leads him to believe his father was murdered by the Zeriths, their sworn enemy. Forced to set out to avenge his father's death, Hal is unaware of the perils he is facing, both inside his kingdom and out. As he faces new challenges on this journey, he ends up discovering the truth about his own people - and where he least expects it - he finds true love. A dramatic tale of adventure, bondage and liberation; of love and war, destiny and vitality, identity and common humanity, Strings is a magical blend of themes that range from Shakespeare to Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings.Similar DVD Movies
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