The Saddest Music in the World
2003 · 100 min · Director: Guy Maddin
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
It's the winter of 1933 in Winnipeg. In honor of Winnipeg being named the sorrow capital of the world for the Depression era for the fourth year running by the London Times, Lady Helen Port-Huntley, the legless owner of Winnipeg's Port-Huntley Beer, is hosting and judging a contest to see which nation has the saddest music in the world, the winner to take home a $25,000 prize. Seeing as to the current Prohibition in the United States, Lady Port-Huntley has ulterior motives for the contest. Father and son, streetcar conductor Fyodor Kent and New York based musical producer Chester Kent, who both have a past connection to Lady Port-Huntley (Fyodor, a WWI veteran and former doctor, has fashioned for her an unusual pair of artificial legs apropos to her business), want to represent Canada and the United States respectively in the contest. Despite Lady Port-Huntley's hatred for the Kent's, she does allow them to do so if only to advance her own priorities. As the contest takes place, the Kents, who also include Fyodor's other son/Chester's brother, Roderick Kent (who wants to represent Serbia in the contest, as his missing wife is Serbian), deal with their collective sorrow and family dysfunction, the latter issue which involves Chester's current girlfriend, an amnesiac named Narcissa.
Emotional fingerprint
The Saddest Music in the World (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Melancholy 30%, Humor 25%, Awe 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Melancholy30%
- Humor25%
- Awe20%
- Sadness15%
- Surprise10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Melancholy, Humor, Awe. Genres: Comedy, Musical. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Melancholy, Humor and Awe. Its IMDb rating of 7.0/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Humor
- Curiosity
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Humor | Curiosity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 20 % | 47 % | 48 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Humor | 51 % | 23 % | 49 % | 46 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Humor | 56 % | 30 % | 48 % | 46 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Tension | 60 % | 40 % | 39 % | 49 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Sadness | 57 % | 45 % | 34 % | 49 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Humor | 58 % | 49 % | 38 % | 43 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Sadness | 61 % | 53 % | 43 % | 36 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Humor | 60 % | 45 % | 48 % | 41 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Curiosity | 58 % | 41 % | 45 % | 44 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Sadness | 59 % | 46 % | 38 % | 38 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Tension | 61 % | 49 % | 36 % | 36 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Sadness | 60 % | 49 % | 36 % | 38 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Curiosity | 56 % | 44 % | 33 % | 39 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Sadness | 59 % | 44 % | 35 % | 40 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Sadness | 64 % | 50 % | 40 % | 39 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Sadness | 65 % | 48 % | 36 % | 36 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Tension | 66 % | 39 % | 34 % | 40 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Tension | 69 % | 40 % | 34 % | 44 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Empathy | 66 % | 44 % | 27 % | 34 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Empathy | 60 % | 40 % | 20 % | 22 % |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Saddest Music in the World. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Roderick Kent / Gravillo the Great
Duncan Elksworth
Mary
Young Chester
Young Roderick
Chester's Mother
Man in Bar
Lady's Secretary
Boardmember
American Mother
American Father
Widow
Reverend
Details
- Directed by
- Guy Maddin
- Written by
- Kazuo Ishiguro, Guy Maddin, George Toles
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2003
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Country
- Canada
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Melancholy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
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