User:Cgsims/personal sandbox
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life
[edit]Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life is an unrated live-action film that hit theaters in the United Kingdom on November 17, 1995 and was released in the United States on August 23, 1996[1]. The film was directed by Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay also referred to as the Brothers Quay. This was their first feature length film. This film has been categorized in multiple genres including but not limited to Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, and Special Interest.
| Institute Benjamenta or This Dream People Call Human Life | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Stephen Quay Timothy Quay |
| Written by | Alan Passes Stephen Quay Timothy Quay Robert Walser |
| Produced by | Keith Griffiths |
| Cinematography | Nicholas D. Knowland |
| Music by | Lech Jankowski |
| Distributed by | Zeitgeist Films |
Release date | 1995 |
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
[edit]Institute Benjamenta or This Dream People Call Human Life is about a young man named Jakob who goes to a school to learn how to become a servant. The school he attends is run by a pair of siblings named Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta. According to International Movie Database, Johannes isn't really an active part of what is going on at the school, and is really removed from most if not all happenings. Lisa, on the other hand is very much an opposite to Johannes in that she is pretty and as the movie progresses she goes from tightly wound to catatonic.[2] A bit of a love story ensues when Jakob is attracted to Lisa and we see that she is to him as well when she starts giving him things he asks for, such as a new room in a different location. However, there are hints of an incestuous relationship between Johannes and Lisa, thickening the plot a little bit. When Lisa starts to break down mentally, Johannes notices that the decline in her mental state has happened since Jakob has come to the school.[3]
Cast
[edit]The cast in order as it appears in the credits:
- Mark Rylance as Jakob Von Gunten
- Alice Krige as Lisa Benjamenta
- Gottfried John as Johannes Benjamenta
- Daniel Smith as Kraus
- Joseph Alessi as Pepino
- Cesar Sarachu as Ingo
- Jonathan Stone as Hebling
- Peter Lovstrom as Jorgenson
- Uri Roodner as Schilinski
- Peter Whitfield as Null
Awards
[edit]| Year | Place | Award | Category/Recipient(s) | Result |
| 1995 | Fantasporto | International fantasy Film Special Jury Award | Stephen Quay Timothy Quay | Won |
| 1995 | Fantasporto | International Fantasy Film Award | Best Film Stephen Quay Timothy Quay | Nominated |
| 1995 | Locarno International Film Festival | Special Mention | (The Institute Benjamenta). The filmmakers demonstrate a technique that is astonishing considering the fact that this is a first feature film and they achieve a dramatic vision that encloses the characters of the film in a labyrinth of emotions in which all vital impulses are progressively paralyzed. | Won |
| 1995 | Locarno International Film Festival | Golden Leapord | Stephen Quay Timothy Quay | Nominated |
| 1995 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Nicholas D. Knowland | Won |
| 1995 | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Best Film | Stephen Quay Timothy Quay | Nominated |
| 1995 | Stockholm Film Festival | Bronze Horse | Stephen Quay Timothy Quay | Won |
Soundtrack
[edit]The music was composed by Lech Jankowski before the film was even conceived. The Brothers Quay, in an interview, explained that it suggests more “potential for elaborating a screenplay than just adapting a piece of literature.”[6]
The soundtrack was released in 1998 in CD format.
Track Listing:
- Canone Non Infinitione (5:26)
- A Very Old Mexican Dance (1:07)
- Finale (5:59)
- Con-Trapuncto (1:00)
- Lullaby/Waltz (9:25)
- Introdukja Liliowa (1:17)
- Mazurek (6:48)
- Kolysanka wg. Erika S. (1:17)
- Marsz (2:48)
- Menuet I (3:01)
- Maly Cmentarz Harf (1:55)
- Waltz Z. K. Minor (3:06)
- Zym-Zym (2:42)
- Melodia Na Piec (Part I, II, III) (3:20)
- Minuet With Hydrocephalus (1:01)
- Pavana Zza Parawana No. 5 (1:16)
- (Repeat) Kolysanka wg. Erika S. (1:17)
- Aria Contrapuncto (2:14)
- Hymn. Coda. Choral (4:18)
- Melodia Na Piec (Part III) (1:03)
Adaptation/Influence
[edit]The Brothers Quay got the idea for this film from a book they were reading titled Jakob von Gunten by Robert Walser. When they were originally asked if they would ever consider making a full length feature film, they said no and then realized realized that they could film it (it being a screenplay inspired by the book they were reading at the time) in one space. They got this idea when they thought of Walerian Borowczyk’s Goto l'île d'amour.[8]
External Links
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "IMDB - Release Info". IMDB. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "IMDB - Plot Summary". IMDB. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life". Rotton Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "IMDB - Cast Listing". IMDB. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "IMDB - Awards". IMDB. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Interview with Brother's Quay". Electric Sheep. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Institute Benjamenta, Or This Dream People Call Human Life". Soundtrack Collector. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Interview with Brothers Quay". Electric Sheep. Retrieved 15 November 2011.