Artists including Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, and the Brothers Quay have all admitted to being inspired by surrealist filmmaker Jan Svankmajer's dream-like images. Using a mixture of puppetry, claymation, live-action, and stop-motion animation, Svankmajer has spend more than 40 years building an often disturbing yet strangely beautiful realm of the imagination. The short films included here fully express the artist's range and thought process, touching on themes that are dark, humorous, and strange. This collection includes the following 14 films: THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, A GAME WITH STONES, ET CETERA, PUNCH AND JUDY/ RAKVICKARNA, THE FLAT, PICNIC WITH WEISSMANN, A QUIET WEEK IN THE HOUSE, DIMENSIONS OF DIALOGUE, DOWN TO THE CELLAR, THE PENDULUM THE PIT AND THE HOPE, MEAT LOVE, FLORA, DEATH OF STALINISM IN BOHEMIA, and FOOD.
