Cremaster 3 (2002)

The third film of a five-part art-installation epic -- it's part-zombie movie, part-gangster film.

Director:

Matthew Barney

Writer:

Matthew Barney

Stars:

Richard Serra, Matthew Barney, Aimee Mullins

Cast

Credited cast:
Richard Serra	...	Hiram Abiff
Matthew Barney	...	The Entered Apprentice
Aimee Mullins	...	The Entered Novitiate / Oonagh MacCumhail
Paul Brady	...	Cloud Club Maitre D'
Terry Gillespie	...	Cloud Club Barman
Mike Bocchetti	...	Grand Master
David Edward Campbell	...	Grand Master
James Pantoleon	...	Grand Master
Jim Tooey	...	Grand Master
Nesrin Karanouh	...	Gary Gilmore
Peter Donald Badalamenti II	...	Fionn MacCumhail (as Peter D. Badalamenti)
The Mighty Biggs	...	Fingal
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Heather Coker	...	Dancer
James Drescher	...	Lead Singer - Murphy's Law
Todd Christian Hunter	...	Mason (as Todd Hunter)

Storyline

Barney plays the Entered Apprentice and his opponents include the Order of the Rainbow for Girls (who look a lot like the Rockettes), Agnostic Front and Murphy's Law (two New York Hardcore bands), Aimee Mullins, and Richard Serra. Molten Vaseline, dental surgery, a demolition derby by vintage Chrysler Imperial New Yorker cars and a gorgeous creature who is half-cheetah/half woman all figure in this latest edition of Matthew Barney's fever dream. Much of the action takes place in two New York landmarks, the Chrysler Building and the Guggenheim Museum, as well as at the Saratoga Racetrack (upstate NY), the Giant's Causeway (Ireland) and Fingal's cave (the Scottish Isle of Staffa).

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Plot Keywords:

racetrack | chrysler building manhattan new york city | g string | manhattan new york city | third part | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

The Cremaster Cycle

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish Hebrew

Release Date:

25 May 2003 (Iceland)

Filming Locations:

Chrysler Building - 405 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,787 (USA) (21 May 2010)

Gross:

$120,308 (USA) (2 October 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glacier Field LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

182 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

After the teeth have begun to exit the Apprentice's prolapsed intestine, there is an overhead shot of the hitmen standing around the Apprentice on the dentist's chair. The view of the intestine is slightly blocked by the back of one of the hitmen, but as he shifts from side to side, the teeth are nowhere to be seen.

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Connections

Follows Cremaster 2 (1999)

User Reviews

Review

Matthew Barney's Cremaster 3 is simply brilliant. This film is one of the most inspirational works of art i've ever seen. Barney has created one of the most visually stunning films ever. Because it was shot in 24p - a video mode that shoots at the same frames per sec as film - Cremaster 3 has an incredibly unique look to it. Anyone can appreciate this movie as a work of film art, but to be fully respected one must be able to comprehend the meaning behind the film.

Before viewing Cremaster 3 it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with Celtic and Masonic symbols/rituals/myths - as these are dominant themes throughout the film. Also, it helps to be familiar with the other films in the cycle and know a bit about the history of the construction of the Chrysler building. These concepts are all referenced in the film and may be hard to grasp if you are not familiar. Many people criticize Barney's work because they claim it's a meaningless 3 hour movie with obscure symbolism. It is not. It just takes a lot of knowledge in the subject to fully comprehend.

Altogether, it is incredible that Barney can tell such a story strictly through the use of visuals, symbolism, and ambient music - there is absolutely no dialogue for all 3 hours and 5 minutes. The whole film is just beautiful and is recommended for anyone who can appreciate film as art.