The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer: The Pendulum, the Pit, and other Pecularities

Jan Svankmajer (born 1934) is one of the most celebrated animation filmmakers in the world. Widely imitated and hugely influential for several generations of directors and animators, including Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam and the Brothers Quay, Svankmajer populates his surreal universe with sentient household objects, morphing clay figures, grotesquely exaggerated everyday sounds and a mood of paranoia pitched somewhere between Kafka and Poe. Among his best known works are the feature films Alice (1988), Faust (1994) and Conspirators of Pleasure (1996), and the short Dimensions of Dialogue (1982--chosen by Terry Gilliam as one of the ten best animations ever). His most recent film is 2010's Surviving Life. The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer is the first monographic overview of this major artist's work. Including excellent film stills, sculptures, illustrations and an interview with the filmmaker, it spans nearly 40 years of visionary creativity.