The films of Jan Svankmajer are NOT for everyone, that's for sure. His stop-motion films are ultra-bizarre and have a strange sensibility that set them apart. Calling them extremely disturbing is not at all an understatement--and "Lunacy" is often very disturbing and really weird.
The film is based on the Poe story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" and is unusual because most of the film is NOT stop-motion. The plot is essentially about a mental hospital in the 19th century where the patients have taken over and locked their tormentors in the basement. However, it takes a VERY long time to get to this plot and has a lot of strange stuff that Poe never intended--such as an overabundance of animated meat...yes, MEAT. Throughout the film, tongues and hunks of meat appear and move about using stop-motion for no discernible reason other than to make the film weird. Additionally, there is a lot of nudity and adult content that clearly make this a film you might not want to show your children, your mother or dead old Father O'Malley (especially because of the very blasphemous scene that takes place in a church-- it would give the old guy a heart attack).
I do not recommend this film unless you like Svankmajer and know what you're getting into by selecting it. Instead, try seeing the recent version "Stonehearst Asylum"--a very intelligently made and satisfying incarnation of the Poe tale.
The film is based on the Poe story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" and is unusual because most of the film is NOT stop-motion. The plot is essentially about a mental hospital in the 19th century where the patients have taken over and locked their tormentors in the basement. However, it takes a VERY long time to get to this plot and has a lot of strange stuff that Poe never intended--such as an overabundance of animated meat...yes, MEAT. Throughout the film, tongues and hunks of meat appear and move about using stop-motion for no discernible reason other than to make the film weird. Additionally, there is a lot of nudity and adult content that clearly make this a film you might not want to show your children, your mother or dead old Father O'Malley (especially because of the very blasphemous scene that takes place in a church-- it would give the old guy a heart attack).
I do not recommend this film unless you like Svankmajer and know what you're getting into by selecting it. Instead, try seeing the recent version "Stonehearst Asylum"--a very intelligently made and satisfying incarnation of the Poe tale.