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Best movie of this year hands down!

Purely Joyful Movie!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

An inventive, even witty Svankmajer short (lasting 6 minutes) which basically sees the various disembodied components of the human body converging inside a low-ceilinged house(!) on their way to assembling the whole. Sometimes, though, it seems they're not quite sure how it's all supposed to turn out – as ever more organs knock at the door demanding entry; the biggest laugh unsurprisingly involves male genitalia as a very loud thud is heard prior to its (unimpressive) appearance! The claymation effects, naturally, are splendid and the results are delightful and striking enough (even at this modest scale, compared to the feature-length ALICE [1988], to which it's been attached on DVD) to definitely make me interested in checking out more of this celebrated animator's work.

What a cool and weird mind thinks up a short like this! This is basically Jan Svankmajer working out what it means to get connected to (or rather reconnected to) the parts of your body as a man. This means setting up the eyes right, hooking together the hands and fingers and legs and toes, the tongue (such an ugly thing), the brain, the genitals (the water bucket thrown on them off camera is a big laugh), and finally all of the other parts. Darkness Light Darkness is the kind of title that reminds one of the pretentious title of an art piece in Ghost World (Mirror, Father, Mirror), but luckily that's not the case here. It's like Gumby with an extra spike of danger to it, of surprise, and there's not a whole lot that's exactly 'cute' about it. There's probably a 'message' to it somewhere, like the meaning of a human being being 'complete', and how anatomy's quirks are taken for granted. But aside from the message, it's just mind-blowing artistry, with a fascination with gyrating green matter and doors. I loved it.

Spoilers herein.This is Svankmejer's most celebrated work, at least on IMDB. It is brief compared to the more visually rich `Alice.' And the craft is high. It is short enough to avoid the tedium of his other projects,Its appeal is that the artist is able to avoid his tendency to make sophomoric statements under the rubric of `surrealism.'Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.

If you are a fan of Jan Svankmajer, definitely check this out. Subtitled as "Scenes From The Surreal," this collection of Svankmajer's short films includes "Darkness, Light, Darkness," "Manly Games" and "Death of Stalinism," plus a documentary on Svankmajer and his work. Those who are familiar with his full-length features such as "Alice" or "Faust" will instantly recognize the trademark usage of clay animation and marionettes combined with live action. On "Darkness, Light, Darkness" we witness a clay man basically building himself up from a scratch. "Manly Games" is a soccer game like you've never seen it before. (When a player is down, he is really down, I'll tell you that.) And "Death of Stalinism" is Svankmajer's unique rumination on the fall of communism and the Velvet revolution in Czech republic.So, if you are a fan of Svankmajer, this, of course, is mandatory. If you are not, check this out and you just might become one.