Meat Love (1989) User Reviews (10)

What is wrong with that guy?!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 January 2013]

Jan Svankmajer is the most unusual stop-motion filmmaker whose work I have seen. Instead of the typical models which are brought to life using this method, Svankmajer takes everyday objects or creepy stuff he's found, perhaps, in antique shops to create films that are truly unique.

In "Meat Love", he's outdone himself in the weirdness department, as his 'puppets' that he animates are pieces of meat! Yes, meat. The film begins with an invisible hand cutting off two slices of meat from a roast. Then, the two pieces begin moving about like people and begin making love to each other!! Seriously strange but also rather funny. My only criticism might be due mostly to when the film was made, as you can clearly see what looks like fishing line holding the meat--nowadays you could just erase that using a computer. Weird and very, very short.

sweet meat

[mrdonleone · 7/10 · 12 May 2009]

this short film was really beautiful, it's romantic and it's funny. the two main meat characters are so cute you immediately love them without doubt. the dance (and the sort of movie this is) draws clear parallels between Meat Love from Jan Swankmajer and Un Chien Andalou from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. there's no actual story, but the way Svankmajer filmed everything is so cute you just can't say no to watching this over and over again. it lasts less than a minute, so it's quite possible to watch this over a hundred time in less then two hours. I really liked it, the meat was sweet. the ending, however, made me sad.

Flesh and romance

[Rectangular_businessman · 8/10 · 7 July 2012]

Just like "Flora", "Meat Love" is a incredibly brief (It only last one minute approximately) short, which contains all the most iconic elements of the works done by Jan Švankmajer: The strange but fascinating imagery, inanimate objects showing human behavior, a dark sense of humor and some hints of twisted eroticism...All those qualities are more than enough to make this short something unique and captivating in its strangeness, needing only one minute to portray accurately the crazy worlds created in each one of the films done by Švankmajer, being all of them true works of art and triumphs of the imagination and visual poetry.

This is a work of true love of cinema and animation, and deserves way more recognition and appreciation.

Bizarre idea but it works

[scarletminded · 10 May 2004]

May contain spoilers.

Two pieces of meat are cut, fall in love, have tricky meat love and then are cooked up for our consumption.

The theme could be how people treat each other like meat. If you can get your hands on a copy of this film maker's collected works (volume one and two are on DVD, I got mine from the local library) please do so. You can see how people from David Lynch to the Brothers Quay are inspired by him and there is also a great documentary on the DVDs.

See it.

[GiraffeDoor · 7/10 · 25 April 2019]

Slickly created piece of dark humour that is worth that two minutes of your time.

One entertaining minute

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 10 September 2015]

"Meat Love" is not only a play on words, it is also possibly Jan Svankmajer's shortest work. In this movie from over 25 years ago, the Czech animation legends breathes life into a pair of meat chops/steaks here and the two are in love. Early on, it looked like one of them would cheat on the other with a spoon, which was maybe the funniest moment when (s)he got caught. And even as a vegetarian I must say that the last 10 seconds made me kinda hungry. I am a bit critical about most of Svankmajer's other work, but here he delivers a nice film. Maybe it is my favorite from him and maybe his style only works for one minute for me. I am not sure, but I enjoyed this film and recommend it. Also it is a good way to start with Svankmajer's body of work as his style is clearly visible in here. Today Pixar are the masters of breathing life into inanimate objects, back then it was Jan Svankmajer. Thumbs up for his work here.

12.5.2023

[EasonVonn · 7/10 · 5 December 2023]

Watched it on b-site, didn't realize it was so short.

I vaguely remember seeing this movie advertised at the end of The Man with the Camera. I thought it would be a CULT genre, but I didn't realize it would be so simple and logical.

The most valuable part of the film is when Meat looks at himself in a mirror and is surprised to see his own objectified image. And he is afraid to show his objectified self to others.

The abstract and artistic desire of the flesh ends up being directly connected to death.

Watched it on b-site, didn't realize it was so short.

I vaguely remember seeing this movie advertised at the end of The Man with the Camera. I thought it would be a CULT genre, but I didn't realize it would be so simple and logical.

The most valuable part of the film is when Meat looks at himself in a mirror and is surprised to see his own objectified image. And he is afraid to show his objectified self to others.

The abstract and artistic desire of the flesh ends up being directly connected to death.

quickie that acts as a sweet prelude to Lunacy's interludes

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 29 August 2008]

This is merely one minute long and it's climax is just what it sounds like: two pieces of bloody-as-hell slices of red-meat getting it on and humping with strings attached. It's dirty and lightly crazy, but it all works because you actually forget most of the time Svankmajer is working with the strings. There's even a bit of tragedy at the end; by the time we've spent this, er, one minute with these charming and delectable pieces of part-cow their ultimate demise on the frying pan is kind of sad. What is also great about the film is that one can see it as the prelude to what would be one of the director's crowning achievements- the dancing meat preludes in his film Lunacy. Check it out if you can get the Jan Svankmajer DVD collection of shorts! It's one minute that is so meaty it's, well, juicy, and stringy.

It won't hurt to watch, but it's pointless.

[The-Strid · 1/10 · 9 October 2023]

This short is as pointless as the movie "Rubber". But, at around a minute, you should watch it if you're a fan of Svankmajer. Just know that he has put out far far better works. This may have been a very early film school assignment. That wouldn't surprise me at all. For a fun intro to those who don't know his work, dig up his English dubbed Alice (assuming that you speak English and not Czech). This will let you take in a story well known to you, "Alice In Wonderland", while seeing his stop motion work and creativity at the same time. In my IMBD list, "Absolute Weirdest Movies Of All Time", I have a couple of his movies recommended there.

carnivore knowledge

[lee_eisenberg · 9 November 2011]

For decades, Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer has been one of the main purveyors of stop motion animation from Eastern Europe. His "Zamilované maso" ("Meat Love" in English) is a prime example. The entire movie -- lasting about 1 minute -- features two slices of meat in a relationship. There's dancing, and even a mildly erotic scene. But it all must come to an end.

Probably the main rule in fiction is that there are no rules. Švankmajer's work always features some bizarre stuff (but always enjoyable). Ditto fellow Czech animator Jiří Barta, whose version of "The Pied Piper" has to be seen to be believed. I understand that they both got influenced by Jiří Trnka (who is know as the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe), but I've never seen any of his work. Watching some of Švankmajer's work, I can see how he influenced Terry Gilliam.

Anyway, worth seeing.