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Night Mayor (2009) is the latest short film by Canadian-expressionist-surrealist filmmaker Guy Maddin.  The ten-minute film will have its world premiere at the upcoming 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.  Set during 1939 in Winnipeg, Canada, the film follows a Bosnian immigrant who conceives a way to harness the power of the Aurora Borealis — also know as the northern lights — and the Bosnian immigrant uses the northern lights to broadcast imagery coast to coast.  Continue reading this article to watch two minutes from the film and for a longer synopsis.

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Careful(1992), Guy Maddin’s third feature film, draws inspiration from such films as The Cabinet of Dr. Calighara (1920) and A Trip to the Moon (1902).  Upon its release, some critics classified Careful as a neo-german-expressionist film — visually, this is true — however, Careful’s candy-eye visuals occasionally serve as artifice that sets the viewer up for an unexpected comdedic round-house kick.  Wild humor and sound considered, Canadian Expressionism is more suitable — it’s a wildly original film that sits next to The Saddest Music in the World (1996) and Sissy Boy Slap Party (1994) as Maddin’s best work to date.

In Careful, Guy Maddin’s third feature film, Surrealist visuals run amok and the mise en scène recalls A Trip to the Moon (1902) or that of a German Expressionist film like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). There also is a heavy dose of Bunuel influence, too, for there are many moments that call to mind Un Chien Andalou (1929) and L’Age D’or (1930).

The film begins with a washed out sepia tint and fluctuates between black/white and hyper-stylized coloring throughout.  At times the pairing of red and green lighting gels resemble the set of a Dario Argento movie, specifically Suspiria (1977).  Maddin shot the film on super 16mm and blew it up to a 35mm print, therefore the picture is noticeably grainy, and Maddin probably did this (more…)