31 Days of
Drafts and Darkness: VOL 2!
"The Corpse Bride" (2005)
Much like in last year's review of "ParaNorman",
claymation seems to lend itself well to the supernatural. From the classic
"Nightmare Before Christmas" to more recent outings like Laika's
"Coraline" and "The Box Trolls", this particular style of
filmmaking embraces the bizarre. Even its human characters are often
asymmetrical or over exaggerated.
I wholehearted support this artform not only for the visual flare, but also the difficulty of the craft. Stories told
via claymation rely on hand-crafted sets and characters, most of which have dozens
of facial expressions to manually swap out between shots. In this age of CGI,
seeing the actual time and care put into even tiny details is hugely
admirable.
You ever notice how, with CGI cartoons, there are a few
great ones, but most are generic and dull? Claymation never seems to have
that issue. There are far more CGI films than claymation ones, but
claymation is way ahead in terms critical reception. I imagine the painstaking
care put into each work of clay really centers home how important story is.
With so much time spent capturing single scenes, there's lots of time
to reflect on plot and characters. After all, with the artists moving the models
around themselves, they're essentially the movie's actors.
Tonight's entry is the underrated spiritual-successor to
"Nightmare Before Christmas". While "Corpse Bride" may not have risen to the same level of
fame, it's still a beautifully dark and somber tale that's worth checking out.
The Plot:
In 1800-something England, young bachelor Victor Van Dort
nervously awaits his marriage. Like many Tim Burton heroes, he's the quiet, sensitive
sort. While Victor has the soul of an artist, he's all the social grace of a
haystack. That holds especially true in his uber-rigid, stuffy society.
Victor hails from a up-and-coming middle class family who's
recently ascended the social ladder. While his roots are by the bootstrap,
those of his engaged are quite the opposite. His fiancee Victoria Everglot
comes from an old aristocratic line of stiffs. Victoria herself is meek, the stark
contrast to her noble brood. The Everglots have historically
been in the upper tiers of society, and fancy themselves as such. At the moment
however, they're dead broke. The entire marriage between Victor and Victoria
(subtle) is far more about business than love, with both families looking to
cement their current social status.
Understandably, having first met his future wife at their
own rehearsal, Victor's a tad nervous. After stumbling his way through
the wedding vows, he's ordered by the priest to take a long walk and practice. I should mention the priest is menacingly voiced by Christopher Lee.
When Dracula/Saruman tells you to do something, it's probably best to comply.
Strolling through the woods, Victor
places the engagement ring on what he thinks is a tree branch. Caught up in the
moment, he fails to note the more skeletal aspects of this particular stick. He
successfully recites his vows and breathes relief for about a half-second
before the ring-clad bony hand springs to re-life. The resurrected
corpse is that of young bride Emily, who's first words to the terrified Victor are
"I do", spoken moments
before she drags her new husband to the underworld.
Thing is, compared to the monochromatic land of the
living, the underworld's not such a bad place.
The Flavor:
There's more to the story, but where I left off the plot
segues too well into the overall flavor of "The Corpse Bride". While
the land of the living is as gray, somber, and ironically dead a world as you could imagine, the land of the dead plays out
more like Mardi Gras. Bright colors and music practically bleed from the walls
of this Creole landscape. It's a jazzy place that looks like New Orleans on
steroids. And sure, its inhabitants are rotting, but boy are they having fun.
This contrast between the grim, living world to the colorfully joyous land of the dead is the centerpiece of the film. Those on Earth
are so trapped by meaningless social etiquette that they'd literally be better
off dead. Underground, the souls of the deceased are free from all obligation
and can essentially spend their eternity partying.
The art direction is a sight to behold on both worlds, and
the music properly fits the vibe of each. Songs among the living are cold and calculatingly
sung. Songs among the dead pop full of life and energy. While the
music never ascends to the brilliance of "Nightmare" (though Remains of the Day comes awfully close),
it's still a fun listen and do a great job fleshing out both worlds.
Johnny Deep and Helena Bonam Carter essentially play
themselves in the role of Victor and Emily. But wow, do their
personalities fit. Deep's Victor is quiet, expressing himself through subtle
moments and music. Carter plays Emily as a kind but forlorn soul who longs for
acceptance in light of her tragic death. Both do a fantastic job bringing these
characters to life, despite the fact that one's already dead.
Best Paired with:
"Corpse Bride" is a great family film for the Halloween season. While packed full of spooky mood, there's
nothing here that'll traumatize younger children. In fact, much of the film
illustrates how the 'scary' can often be simply something we don't understand.
This is shown in one of my favorite scenes: a grotesque zombie
approaches a small child, who cowers before recognizing the undead as their grandfather
and leaping into their loving arms.
I'd also recommend the film as a great date movie. Though
creepy at times, it's packed with creativity and endearing characters. It's
very hard not to get emotionally attached. The "Corpse Bride" lures
you in with a rotting body only to reveal a vibrant, fully-beating heart.
Accompanying Brew:
I could pair up
tonight's brew with "Corpse Bride" based on appearance and title
alone. The fact that the flavors of both are so rich and tasty is a bonus! Dark + Sweet =
Name: Wake up Dead
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Co.
Where Brewed: Longmont, Colorado
ABV: 10.2% !
Style: Imperial Stout
Feeling something a bit more complex, bold, extreme, and
heavy than your typical pumpkinhead? Less 'chug', more sip-and-savor? Try this
pitch-black Imperial.
Color: Light SHALL NOT PERMEATE. Seriously, I held a glass
of the brew directly up to a lightbulb, and nothing shined through. This is one
dark stout.
Amora: Dark, roasty coffee and chocolate scents blend with
the boozy, sharp sweetness of the higher alcohol. Enticing aroma that invites you
in like a fireplace.
Taste: Rich from the very get-go. You're aware of this
beer's heavier body the moment it passes your lips. Upon the first sip, you're
given a split-second to appreciate the delicious roasted malt flavor of the
stout. Then, the powerful bite of the alcohol comes screaming in and fills your
mouth. It's almost strong enough to drown out the roasted notes, but not quite.
They're still in the background throughout the entire sip and likely go a long
way to keep the sweeter flavors from getting to be too much. I'm surprised by
how sharply sweet this is, though considering it's 10.2%, perhaps I shouldn't
be. Though bold, it's a nice slow sipper to enjoy at a slightly more ambient
room temp.
The bottle recommends tasting it between 55-60 degrees F. Though I'm not as used to warmer beer, this is one I certainly see
benefiting from it, as there's no cold to numb your tongue from the strong
flavors.
Aftertaste: The sweet flavor does begin to fade after
swallowing a sip, but it takes a while. You'll taste it for a good few seconds
before noticing the roasted malt and hop character start to overtake it. The
hops at the end actually have a nice sharpness to them. They're more bitter
than I would've expected and create this bitter-sweet aftertaste as the
alcohol kick fades back.
Body: Certainly on the heavier side. This is no oatmeal
stout you could cut with a knife, but rather one level below that. As
mentioned, it's a slow-sipper. Savor it over time. (And that's not just because
it packs a wallop!)
Pair: Any dessert or entree containing dark chocolate will
blend beautifully with this brew. The combo of bitter and sweet is already present
in dark chocolate, and would be amplified by the intro of this beer's sharp and
bold flavor. While that pairing matches like-flavors, a nice contrast would be
a bloody, rare steak. Some sort of savory meat.
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