The Heart of the World (2000)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Guy Maddin

Writer:

Guy Maddin (writer)

Genre:

Short

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Heart Failure | Experimental Film | Deterioration | Female Scientist

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Leslie Bais	...	Anna
Caelum Vatnsdal	...	Osip
Shaun Balbar	...	Nikolai
Greg Klymkiw	...	Akmatov (as Hryhory Yulyanovitch Klymkyiev)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tammy Gillis	...	Mary Magdalene (uncredited)
Carson Nattrass	...	Centurion (uncredited)

Directed by
Guy Maddin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Guy Maddin		writer

Produced by
Niv Fichman	....	executive producer
Jody Shapiro	....	producer
Jennifer Weiss	....	co-producer

Cinematography by
Guy Maddin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
deco dawson		(co-editor)
Guy Maddin		(co-editor)

Casting by
Barbara Pritchard		(as Barb Pritchard)

Production Design by
Réjean Labrie		(as Rejean Labrie)

Art Direction by
Olaf Dux

Set Decoration by
Natalie Armstrong		(decors)
Lillian Bryant		(decors)
Maryam Decter		(decors)
Tessa Emery		(decors)
Don Greenberg		(decors)
Craig Guiboche		(decors)
Erin Haluschuk		(decors)
Francis Hans		(decors)
Erin Hershberg		(decors)
Matt Holm		(decors)
Simon Hughes		(decors)
David Kufflick		(decors)
Vanessa Loewen		(decors)
Michelle Quirion		(decors)
David Sonnenschein		(decors)
Maria Voulgaris		(decors)
Dan Walechuk		(decors)
Kristin Wisener		(decors)
Jason Woloski		(decors)

Costume Design by
Meg McMillan

Makeup Department
Beverley Hamilton	....	hair stylist (as Beverly Hamilton)
Beverley Hamilton	....	makeup designer (as Beverly Hamilton)
Frances Hans	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Andrew Cullen	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Javier Cámera	....	second assistant director
Maiah Levene	....	first assistant director
Glen Philpot	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Alex Count	....	carpenter
Kim Hamin	....	prop master
Toni Scinocca	....	graphics (as Toni Sinnocca)
Craig Walls	....	construction coordinator
Keith Walls	....	carpenter

Sound Department
David McCallum	....	sound designer
Lou Solakofski	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
deco dawson	....	co-camera operator
Jason Heke	....	lighting
Joao Holowka	....	lighting (as John Holowka)
Zac Rothman	....	lighting (as Zach Rothman)
Brendon Sawatzky	....	lighting
Paul Suderman	....	lighting
deco dawson	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Vladimir Gabyshev	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Lois Raymond	....	liaison

Thanks
Jeff Andruchuk	....	thanks
Michael Drabot	....	special gratitude
Buffalo Gal	....	thanks
Noam Gonick	....	thanks
Laura Michalchyshyn	....	thanks
Steve Morrison	....	thanks
Lois Raymond	....	thanks

Distributors

• Zeitgeist Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Zeitgeist Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Astral Media  in participation with (as Astral Media)
• Catherine Rankin Productions Ltd.  supplier (as Catherine Rankin Productions Inc.)
• Fujifilm Professional Video Products  supplier
• Manitoba Telephone System  thanks
• Movie Network, The (TMN)  in participation with
• Prairie Production Centre  supplier
• Ryerson Polytechnical Institute  supplier (as Ryerson Polytechnic University: School of Image Arts)
• Shelter Canadian Properties Ltd.  supplier
• Super Écran  in participation with

Runtime:

6 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Trivia:

References/parodies soviet montage cinema of the 1920s, German Expressionism of the 1920s, and silent melodrama film.

Movie Connections:

References La fin du monde (1931)

Soundtrack:

Time, Forward

Kino-therapy..

Equal parts German Expressionism and Russian Agit-prop, Heart of the World is a six minute epic of Biblical proportions.

Maddin's usual idiosyncrasies resurface - Scandinavian Love triangle Melodrama amidst impending social catastrophe.

Being from the Tarkovskian school of thought, an ASL (average shot length) of under 2 seconds would normally be scoffed at, but an exception will have to be made in this case, as the rapid-cutting is truly elevated to an art form here.

The music is appropriately over-the-top and compliments the film perfectly.

One of the wittiest, most inventive short films ever.