This film is very well made and I was impressed by much of it. However, I would assume that at least 95% of the public would hate the film if they saw it--probably even more! That's because all the bizarre and surrealistic elements make a lot of sense to a film historian or someone who loves German or Soviet silent Expressionistic film--so this makes for a very narrow audience indeed!! THE HEART OF THE WORLD appears as if it were made in the 1920s and at first I thought it was made from clips from old movies. However, instead I soon realized that the film actually was imitating such films as METROPOLIS, THE CABINET OF CALIGARI, NOSFERATU, ZEMLYA and even THE KING OF KINGS (among others)--with a very strong emphasis on METROPOLIS. There were also some amazingly unusual phallic images interspersed throughout the film that made me laugh. This, combined with an appropriately stirring and bizarre musical score made for a very skilled picture indeed.
The problem with this film, though, is that even if the work shows great skill, who is going to watch it? I understood the film and psychological references and could appreciate it...but I also didn't particularly enjoy it and would hate a steady diet of this sort of filming. It's probably only of interest to a small and select few.
The problem with this film, though, is that even if the work shows great skill, who is going to watch it? I understood the film and psychological references and could appreciate it...but I also didn't particularly enjoy it and would hate a steady diet of this sort of filming. It's probably only of interest to a small and select few.