La Antena

Introduction

La Antena is Argentinian filmmaker Esteban Sapir's homage to the great silent movies, with particular nods to Georges Méliès's Le Voyage dans la Lune, and Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

The film takes place in a Metropolis-esque city in which all the residents have lost the ability to speak, anaesthetised by the sinister television programs produced by a media magnate called Mr. TV. He holds the only person left with a voice prisoner - a singer whose son has no eyes.

To free the inhabitants from Mr. TV's control, the city's old transmitter aerial must be used to broadcast a second voice.

Video

This looks exactly like the films that it homages, in monochrome with intertitles, but oddly, presented letterboxed and pillarboxed with an aspect ratio of 2.15:1. I don't know if the lenses are available, but if he was being strictly faithful to the classic silent films, the aspect ratio of 1.19:1 should have been used.

Audio

You have the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Stereo - the sound is almost entirely scored music, but there are a few lines of dialogue. The music is great and a major feature of the film. The English subtitles are burnt-in.

Extra Features

Disappointingly, just a trailer - I would have liked to hear from Esteban Sapir.

Conclusion

I love this film - it's not often that I watch a review disc twice, but I did with this on consecutive nights. La Antena feels and looks as if Luis Buñuel, David Lynch, Guillermo del Toro, Terry Gilliam and Fritz Lang had collaborated on a silent feature.

With a brilliant score, superb visuals and innovative intertitles, this is funny, whimsical, surreal and knowingly intelligent. If you like silent films, you'll love La Antena and if you don't, you will after you watch this. Great film, shame about the lack of extras.