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The Science Of Sleep [2006]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £2.89 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

The Science of Sleep concerns the flirtations and misunderstandings of Stéphane (played by Gael García Bernal), an aspiring visual artist, and Stéphanie (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg), his Parisian neighbour who creates whimsical sculptures from cotton balls and felt. As Stéphane toils in a caustic office for a company that makes calendars, he retreats into his dreams and finds them increasingly hard to distinguish from reality, and vice-versa.

The French magician and director Georges Méliès was arguably the first master of special effects, filling the silent movie houses of the early 20th century with camera trickery that stunned and delighted audiences. A century later, Michel Gondry works very much in the spirit of his artistic predecessor and countryman, creating films and music videos that feel just as hand-crafted and visually fantastical. The Science of Sleep is a trilingual film, with dialogue spoken in French, English, and Spanish by characters who are very much global citizens, crossing boundaries of consciousness as easily as they cross boundaries of culture. Gondry decorates his love story with deliberately low-tech special effects, including cellophane made to look like bath water and a subconscious television studio constructed largely of corrugated cardboard. This is filmmaking with all the seams and stitches exposed, an appreciation for the patent falseness of films that nonetheless transport and enchant us. It's dreamy. --Ryan Boudinot


Recommended
Review date: 2008-09-07 Rating: 10 out of 10

I really enjoyed this film. The whole film looks great. I love how they blend being awake with being asleep. Really good dialog, I thoroughly recommend seeing this film.

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Reviews


Disappointing
Review date: 2008-04-27 Rating: 4 out of 10

i bought this film on the strength of Eternal Sunshine but am left so disappointed - took three stabs to watch it in entirety. Best parts were the closing frames (as illustrated on the DVD sleeve) and closing soundtrack. A letdown.

A Mess
Review date: 2008-03-13 Rating: 4 out of 10

I loved Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine but since then it's been a rapid decline in my eyes, reaching new depths with Be Kind Rewind which was beyond awful...without a Kaufmann script Michel Gondry appears to be unable to fashion anything himself outside of music video slapstick. This is an irritatingly wacky idea that's been drawn out into a film - lame half-characters I didn't care about speaking banal dialog to each other. I went into the cinema with great enthusiasm but this was too much pop video, novel bits of papier-mache patchwork surrealism trying to paper over the cracks of an otherwise dull self-indulgent tale.

Confusing at times, but beautiful to behold.
Review date: 2008-01-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

I thought this movie was really beautiful. It was intensely creative and explored many ideas at once. The only quip i have with it is that i felt at times the line between shephane's dreams and real life was too blurred, and to that end its hard to make out a story line. As a matter of fact the whole experience of the film (id go so far as to call it an experience) was very much like a dream, in that thinking back on it now, i can only remember small details, little quirks and emotions and romances, and nothing much of what actually happened.

I recommend you buy this film if you were a fan of 'eternal sunshine' or, in fact, if you are a fan of quirky french films or surrealism.

I recommend too, that you watch it more than once.

Magnifiqué
Review date: 2007-12-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

Got to say this film is Great!!!!!!

If you haven't seen it yet, buy it!

I love how he constantly slips in-and-out of reality, and the embarassing stuff he does is very amusing! But if easily confused, watch this with somebody clever :)

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Gael Garcia Bernal
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Miou Miou
Alain Chabat

Creators:
Miou Miou (Primary Contributor)
Gael Garcia Bernal (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321902137742
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-06-25
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 102 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)

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