The Saddest Music in the World
The Saddest Music in the World
R | 10 April 2004 (USA)
The Saddest Music in the World Trailers

In Depression-era Winnipeg, a legless beer baroness hosts a contest for the saddest music in the world, offering a grand prize of $25,000.

Reviews
SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!
Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Vonia The Saddest Music in the World (2003) Funny musical, Depressed, lovelorn, and rich, She hosts a contest. Ingenious concept by Loved author Ishiguro. Mostly black and white, Prosthetic legs filled with beer, Crazy characters. Maddin's faded and grainy world, Rhapsody or creepy? Somonka is a form of poetry that is essentially two tanka poems, the second stanza a response to the first. Each stanza follows a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. Traditionally, each is a love letter. This form usually demands two authors, but it is possible to have a poet take on two personas. My somonka will be a love/hate letter to a film? #Somonka #PoemReview
whpratt1 Had no idea just what I was in for when I purchased this film and all of a sudden I was back in the depression days of the 1920's and 1930's drinking beer by the gallons in Canada. The actors all gave an outstanding performance and one woman had her leg amputated and still managed to make love to any gentleman who so desired. There is a beer baroness who organized a contest to find the saddest music in the world with a contest prize of @25,000 and there were many groups who competed in this crazy contest.Despite the fact that this film is depicting the Depression Days, there is some dark comedy and a musical melodrama by the famous director, Guy Maddin. There is also amnesiac nymphomaniac who is exposed and more hidden dark secrets that beer will never solve in Winnipeg, Canada. Enjoy, if you like this type of film.
Charles Herold (cherold) I find Guy Maddin a frustrating director. His films have an interesting visual style and some amusing ideas, yet I always find myself restless and bored, not because Maddin fails in what he's trying to do but because he succeeds at doing something I find unappealing.Saddest Music has a typical Maddin approach. The movie aims to create something akin to old films of the 20s and 30s. Not brilliant old movies like All Quiet on the Western Front or The Thin Man but bad old movies. This film purposely has inane dialog, hammy acting, jumpy editing and muddled visuals.Why? I suppose it's an art thing. Saddest Music basically plays like a rather pretentious student film that should be about 20 minutes long. At 20 minutes, this might be worth watching, but I cannot for the life of me understand how Maddin's films are successful enough for him to have a career.Still, Maddin makes films for people who like this sort of thing, so I'm not really qualified to judge, any more than I can judge the quality of gay porn or brain pudding. Like Saddest Music, these are things made for someone else entirely.
barnesgene What makes this movie such a wretched experience to sit through is that the director obviously hates music, or at least hates the musicians and music lovers who people the profession. Why else would he keep interrupting perfectly good musical performances with buzzers, inane, insipid voiceovers, and stupid visuals -- and a plot that moves, well, nowhere? If you happen to like music, as I do, and not just think of it as a background part of your life, you're sure to be thoroughly annoyed by this idiotic outing. There ARE good Canadian movies out there, but this isn't one of them. One of the two stars I've given it is for the interesting use of faux disintegrating film black-and-white images throughout (if it were furniture, we'd called it stressed), but that by no means could save this dud.