Bread and Circus (2003)

One man's courage and will to break loose from the system, and the ability of one individual to bring down the kingdom.

Director:

Martin Loke

Writer:

Martin Loke (story)

Stars:

Oliver Boullet, Miriam Johansson, Martin Loke

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Oliver Boullet	...	Oliver
Miriam Johansson	...	Miriam Johnsen / Mother Earth
Martin Loke	...	The Normal One / Post 2 / Voice in speaker / Voice of Monks / Goat chewing
Magne Jahrestein	...	The King
Silje Andresen	...	The Princess (as Silje Andreasen)
Benjamin Rørstad	...	Post 1 / First appearing monk
Lars Torp	...	The fugitive - Old / Third appearing monk
Lars Erik Ringstad Nordrum	...	The fugitive - Young
Lise Løke	...	Second appearing monk / Girl going into anus
Hilde Løke	...	Woman in radioroom / Voice of Mother Earth
Fredrik Løke	...	Exposed monk
Frank Løke	...	Sleepy guard / A dreg of society
Eivind Pedersen	...	Butler
Andre Iversen	...	Guard 1 in front of King
Vegar Bakke	...	Guard 2 in front of King

Storyline

In a kingdom, a man is born as a child to Mother Earth. He's checked for normality, confirmed normal, and is let into the system. The man gets old, and the system has no use for him. So he's brought out to be executed. The man gets flashbacks, and understands what his life has been. So he hammers out a message on a piece of stone, for coming generations. Later, a couple finds the message, and journeys out to put an end to the oppressive system.

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Plot Keywords:

body horror | electronic music score | slapstick comedy | earth | mother earth | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Norway

Language:

English Norwegian

Release Date:

1 June 2012 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Brød & Sirkus

Box Office

Budget:

NOK 600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wring Wrong Films

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the audio including the actors' dialogue was recorded later in a homemade recording studio.

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Connections

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

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Soundtracks

Flivver Ten Million
Written by Frederick Shepherd Converse
Performed by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by JoAnn Falletta
Copyright Naxos

User Reviews

A thinking man's splatter movie

"Bread and Circus" is a rare treat, a splatter movie that is brainy and yet still blows your brains out. A true Independent, in every aspect of the word, this sleeper from Norway isn't as well known as it should be. While generic output like "Undead" or even worse "House of the Dead" is peddled all over the world, movies with a heart (popping out) often remain forgotten silver. Fortunately, "Bread and Circus" still has cult potential, even more so because it stays true to the spirit of guerrilla film making and it dares to go where no man has ever gone before: quite literally into the anus of mother earth.

The story is simple, it's about a fascist regime that censors every form of life outside the ordinary. All the weak and strong, all the dumb and intelligent are cast out and left alone in the nearby woods to die. Until one day when a man rebels against the system, breaks out and with his story inspires a young couple to overthrow the fascist government for good.

The movie abounds with symbolism and social criticism as well as fart jokes and gross splatter effects. In the end, this crude mix is what makes the whole thing work. Disgusted by what has become of our world, a place of comfort and conformity, the director expresses his anger and frustration by using images of intense barbarism, almost as barbaric and wretched as the society he sets out to criticize. It's metaphors and blood, a mixture that isn't too appealing to a lot of viewers, the intellectual will be disgusted, the splatter freak might be alienated by the philosophical undertones, everybody else might feel uncomfortably normal, but one thing's for sure, "Bread and Circus" is uncompromising in it's vision, a piece of art that belongs equally in the s**t house as in the art house.

Beside that there are countless references to movies and movie history: slapstick humor from the silent era, black humor from the works of Monty Python, a sense of adventure from "Indiana Jones", martial arts sequences in homage to Jackie Chan, powerful use of music as in "Clockwork Orange", splatter effects right out of the trash masterpieces by Peter Jackson, a surreal ending that will remind you of Takashi Miike, actors that seem to come right out of comic books and direction as unyielding as Francis Ford Coppola's in "Apocalypse Now" (BaC was shot over 5 years, on an ever growing budget and a faulty camera that ruined 1/4th of all takes). All in all this is a movie lover's dream come true, a true source of inspiration for every aspiring filmmaker and a rewarding experience for everyone who dares to look beyond the surface.

It's a little film with high goals, my recommendation: dream a little dream and have great fun!