directed
by Guy Maddin
Canada 1988
Tales from the Gimli Hospital is built on a base made up of fragmented symbols that is difficult to decipher. The religious dimension of film is however obvious. The film mixes Christian, pagan and Indian rites in the center of which the concept of sin is found. Fish, a quasi-spiritual food in the Bible, are deified here. Their omnipresence in this society is witnessed in Gunnar's carvings. They also seem to convey the punishment of the sinners. The entire village suffers from a smallpox epidemic, a sort of divine punishment and Einar, who has committed a sacrilegious act, is not spared. It's only after he has endured the suffering of the disease, a sort of penitence, and Gunnar's retributive impulses that everything seems to return to normal.
Excerpt from Fred Thom's film review located HERE
Posters
 |
Theatrical Release: 1998
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Kino on Video - Region 0 - NTSC
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
NOTE: Purchases through DVDBeaver's links to Amazon help keep us afloat and advertisement free! |
| Distribution |
Kino on Video Region 0 - NTSC |
|
| Runtime | 68 min | |
| Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate |
|
|
| Audio | Dolby Digital 2.0 | |
| Subtitles | none | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Kino on Video Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 12 |
|
| Comments |
"Tales from the Gimli Hospital"
as released here by Kino on Video is yet another example of how Maddin is
very well represented on DVD. The film is highly recommended and the quote on the DVD cover says it all: "Rich and startling! ...rightly compared to everything from David Lynch's Eraserhead to the films of Jean Cocteau."-The Globe and Mail. The B&W (with color tints) transfer is very nice given the low tech methods Maddin employs when filming. Film grain is nicely noticeable and is not marred by any compression issues despite the relatively low bit-rate. The soundtrack contains a fair amount of hiss and audio hickups, which really only adds to effect and is clearly intentional. The audio commentary is very much like others by Maddin. It is informative but not overly exciting. The included short films are a major bonus that not only help to fill out the availability of Maddin's filmography, but hold as much value as the feature itself. [This DVD (as well as every other Maddin film on DVD that I own) exhibits a form of ghosting that I cannot explain. It doesn't make sense that it would be the result of a PAL>NTSC conversion because these films are not available anywhere else in the world. Also, they all originate from within North America. It may be the result of Maddin using various film stocks, such as Super8 and 16mm, although I am not positive that this is a valid explanation]  out of
|
|
DVD Menus
|
|
|
|
|
|
Screen Captures
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Dead Father
|
|
|
|
Hospital Fragment
|
|
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Many Thanks...
