You never saw Adrien Brody's Christmas ad for H&M clothing on television because true art can't be contained to 30 seconds.

That's a little sarcastic, but the fact is this was no ordinary TV commercial. Not only did it feature film star Adrien Brody, but it was directed by his frequent collaborator, art-film darling Wes Anderson.

The ad clocks in at nearly four minutes -- almost eight times as long as a normal TV spot, too long for a commercial break on TV. Indeed, H&M, the clothing company being advertised, doesn't even call it an ad or a commercial, it's a "short film."

H&M's release about the ad/film directs readers to YouTube.com to see it, which suggests the company's intention was to generate online viral fame, rather than traditional TV awareness.

It all takes place on an old-timey train, of which Brody is the conductor. He has the unfortunate job of announcing to his passengers -- all of whom are clad in H&M's latest clothing line, by the way -- that the train will be late and they'll all miss Christmas.

Fans of Brody and Anderson will of course recall that this is not the first time they've paired up on a quaint-looking train -- they previously did so in the 2007 film "The Darjeeling Limited."

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