Critical Reception
The Saddest Music in the World was well-received by critics, with a 78/100 rating by review aggregator Metacritic, based on 33 critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes similarly reported a 78% approval rating based on 101 reviews.
The Christian Science Monitor drew attention to "Maddin's unique style ... carries old-movie nostalgia past the breaking point, making the picture look and sound like a long-ago production that's been stored under somebody's bed for the past few decades, and now reaches the screen replete with often-spliced frames and a fuzz-filled sound track. This is no mere gimmick but a core ingredient of Maddin's aesthetic, which bestows affection and regard on everything we overlook and undervalue in our daily lives."
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, calling it "entirely original" and noting that "You have never seen a film like this before, unless you have seen other films by Guy Maddin."
Read more about this topic: The Saddest Music In The World
Famous quotes containing the words critical and/or reception:
“Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest.... It is a short cut to oblivion, anyway. Thinking in terms of ideas destroys the power to think in terms of emotions and sensations.”
—Raymond Chandler (18881959)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, I hear you spoke here tonight. Oh, it was nothing, I replied modestly. Yes, the little old lady nodded, thats what I heard.”
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)