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.

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.

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!

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