INSTITUTE BENJAMENTA
A film review by Lax Madapati
Copyright 1996 Lax Madapati
UK, 1995 Running Time: 1:44
Cast: Mark Rylance, Gottfried John, Daniel Smith, Peter Whitfield, Joseph Alessi, Jonathan Stone, Cesar Sarachu, Peter Lovstrom, Uri Roodner and Alice Krige Director: The Brothers Quay Screenplay: Alan Passes and The Brothers Quay Cinematography: Nicholas D. Knowland Music: Lech Jankowski
Institute Benjamenta or This Dream People Call Human Life is the first full-length live action feature of the cult masters of stop-motion animation, the Brothers Quay (Stephen and Timothy Quay). It is loosely based on the novella `Jakob Von Gunten' by the Swiss author Robert Walser and also borrows sporadically from his other works.
Set in a dream-like world where fantasy frequently collides with reality, this film narrates through our protagonist Jakob (played by Mark Rylance), the tale of a school for the training of servants, run by siblings Lisa and Herr Benjamenta (played by Alice Krige and Gottfried John), whose curriculum constitutes the endless repetition of each single lesson meticulously until honed to perfection. Lessons vary from arranging cutlery on dining tables to saying the right words in domestic situations and adopting a servile tone to converse with prospective employers. The film begins with Jakob's entry into the institute and enrollment. As it progresses with his training and subsequent involvement with the other students of the institute and with Lisa and Herr Benjamenta, he witnesses the school's slow dis- integration and eventual demise.
There isn't much of a script here and the Brothers Quay's style of narration is very jarring and uneven. Most of the actions of the characters involved in the institute's activities seem to be with apparently no reason or motive at all. For example, Jakob is provided with a room with such a low ceiling that he cannot stand erect anywhere in the room. Lisa seems to have a fondness for Jakob that may or may not be love for him and it is never made clear. The drastic actions Lisa takes towards the end comes abruptly and as a surprise to the viewers and this action was never justified by any on going proceedings until then. Is it because of the guilt she feels of her feelings toward Jakob? Or is it fear that it may elicit the consternation of her brother ? Most under-explained and puzzling is Herr Benjamenta's character and his deeds.
What is good about the movie though is the brilliant use of lighting in most of the scenes and the sudden horizonally swivelling cameras which are trade marks of Brothers Quay, as can be seen from their stop-motion animation works like Epic of Gilgamesh (1981) and Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (1988) Some of the scenes have such exceptional work from the technical crew that the effect is one of dreaminess and Kafkaesque surrealism. The Brothers Quay seem to have a penchant for playing real life characters like puppets from one of their animation projects. This amazing (and sometimes unsettling) effect for the most part has to do a lot with the fine and controlled body language of all the characters involved in the proceedings - the 8 students and 2 owners of the institute. It is in ground-breaking scenes like these that the Brothers Quay excel and provide a good reason to watch the movie.
Mark Rylance seems to be a specialist in playing characters in a dispassionate and sometimes nonchalant style as seen from his other works, notably the recent Angels and Insects (1995). Alice Krige does well in a rather under-developed character but the outstanding one is Gottfried John as Herr Benjamenta. He succeeds in bringing out the fears within Herr Benjamenta and in the process, frightens the viewers, though why he does all that he does is left unexplained. The rest of the cast is adequate. The music for the most part matches up with the mood and atmosphere of the visuals, with abundant use of piano and percussion by first-timer Lech Jankowski.
Maybe this is a film where the visuals take more importance than the story and characters. Sometime midway through the film, we are offered a close-up of the guiding policy of Institute Benjamenta adorning a plaque on a wall in the classroom - "less but very meticulous". The same thing may very well have been the guiding policy of the Brothers Quay in making this film.
Rating: On the SuperNova Scale *** / *****
(The Supernova Scale: - dud; * poor; ** fair; *** good; **** excellent;
***** memorable)
About the Brothers Quay -----------------------
The identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay (a.k.a. Brothers Quay) were born near Philadelphia in a town with a large European immigrant popu- lation which fuelled their interest in European culture. They moved to London in the late 60s to study at the Royal College of Art between 1969 and 1972 where they made their first (and now lost) short films. After spending some time in Holland in the 1970s, they returned to London to team up with fellow RCA alumnus Keith Griffiths (who would act as producer on all their subsequent films) and formed Koninck Studios and have since produced animation as well as art films, cultural documentaries, TV commercials (Honeywell, Walkers Crisps etc.) and music videos which include the ground-breaking video for Peter Gabriel's award-winning song 'Sledgehammer' and more recently, music videos for 'Sober' and 'Prison Sex' by the artist Tool.
The Quays' films include documentaries on Punch and Judy, Stravinsky and the art of Anamorphosis, as well as films inspired by the literature of Kafka, Bruno Schultz and Robert Walser. Their work also include decors for theater and opera productions based on the works of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. In 1995, they designed the decors for the English National Opera productions and this year, they will design the sets for Janacek's 'The Makropoulos Case' at Covent Garden.
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