01.28.08
Posted in Cinema, Events, Silent Films, Animation at 10:29 pm by Spencer
The Northwest Film Forum’s third annual Children’s Film Festival is now underway (running through Feb. 3) and, as always, is chock full of great stuff from all over the world for everyone to enjoy, regardless of birth date. But I thought I should call a couple things in particular to your attention.
Note that you can buy advance tickets online for any screening at the Children’s Film Festival via the Brown Paper Tickets site.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
As I write this, you have only two more chances to catch this: Thursday, Jan. 31 at 8 PM and Sunday, Feb. 1 and 1 PM. And you absolutely must catch it for so many reasons. One, it’s an absolute masterpiece. Released in 1926, The Adventures of Prince Achmed is probably the first feature-length animated film ever made. But it’s very, very far from being mere film school castor oil — as you might can tell from the images above, it’s also easily among the most beautiful animated films ever made, especially in its original tinted presentation as is being shown at the festival. Working in stop-motion-animation, filmmaker Lotte Reiniger’s incredibly detailed, layered, cut-out silhouettes have to be seen to be believed. It is absolutely magical (as befitting its story source), evoking a parallel universe every bit as enveloping, sensuous and psychedelic as those crafted by Terry Gilliam or Jean-Pierre Jeunet decades later.
Two, they’re showing a pristine 35mm tinted print! This is an incredibly rare opportunity to see this remarkable film in its fully-restored glory that no DVD or HD-TV will ever do justice to.
Third, it is being presented with a specially-commissioned score performed live by its composers, Miles and Karina. There is little better in this world than seeing a masterpiece of silent cinema shown with live accompaniment. Well okay, yeah, sex is (usually) better…but don’t tell the kids (yet).
Please, please, please do yourself a favor and make a point of seeing this film during this engagement.
Will Vinton on the History of Claymation and 3-D Animation
Once only: Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1 PM
Tickets at the door: $10 NWFF members / $12 General Public
These days Will Vinton is, alas, probably best known for commercials featuring singing raisins and talking candy. But when he’s not making rent (actually, even when he is), Will is one of the great animation talents of film history — and a program of his earlier work is mentioned below. But this event is a rare chance to hear the tale from the master’s own lips…and you’d be a fool to miss it.
With clips from different stages of development that led to the creation of Will Vinton Studios and to the popularity of computer animation, Will Vinton will share his personal odyssey of film projects as it relates to the growth of all forms of 3D animation. Key developments include: 1) experimentation and clay, 2) perfecting Claymation, 3) characterization and digital tools, 4) getting back to 3D animation’s roots.
Animated Genius: Films of Will Vinton
Only one chance left to see this, but Mr. Vinton will be in attendance: Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3 PM.
A program of Vinton’s earlier short Claymation films, many of them rarely screened:
Legacy (1979, 7 min)
The Creation (1981, 9 min)
Mountain Music (1976, 9 min)
A Christmas Gift (1980, 8 min)
Rip Van Winkle (1978, 27 min)
Not many filmmakers kick off their careers by winning an Academy Award (for Closed Mondays). Even fewer go on to breathe life into characters that become icons of animation. Fewer still achieve stunning commercial success with inventions like the California Raisins and M&M’s “Red & Yellow.” Will Vinton has done all that, in addition to founding and managing one of the most respected animation studios in history, Will Vinton Studios. Join us for this retrospective of early films by Will Vinton, and you’ll see why this boundlessly energetic and creative animator from Portland went on to win virtually every film and television award given to filmmakers. Northwest Film Forum is proud to salute Will Vinton — a world renowned Claymation pioneer who has created some of the most innovative animation in history, and who continues to break new ground under the banner of his new company, Freewill Entertainment.
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01.07.08
Posted in DVDs, Animation, Experimental Film, Seattle Stuff at 11:58 pm by Spencer
My old pal Hell’s Donut House just directed me to this excellent news from Brett Ingram, recently posted at Idiot Bastard Son, a Frank Zappa fan site:
In the next few months, Bright Eye Pictures will release Bruce Bickford’s Prometheus’ Garden, the first film over which Bickford maintained 100% artistic control.
Prometheus’ Garden is a 28-minute stop-motion film utilizing clay puppets and sets, cutouts, replacement series, aluminum foil, “strato-cut” slices, molten wax, and other techniques. The film is (very) loosely based on the Greek myth of Prometheus — an immortal who (in some versions of the story) created the first mortals out of clay. Bickford’s incorporation of this myth into his animated film includes appearances by Vikings, cowboys, Vietnam War era mercenaries, imps, elves, fairies, and countless other historical and mythological creatures.
Prometheus’ Garden, like most of Bickford’s later films, is an unscripted stream of consciousness animated over the course of years. Bickford began work on Prometheus immediately after the release of Frank Zappa’s film Baby Snakes in 1980. Prometheus’ Garden was completed by Bickford in 1988.
I recently recorded Bickford’s (characteristically dry-witted) commentary tracks for the upcoming DVD and began production on “extra” elements — including the documentary featurette, Luck Of A Foghorn. This new half hour documentary will take viewers behind the scenes and into the mind of Bickford. I shot miles of film while making Monster Road (the documentary feature I made about Bickford) and most of this footage has never seen the light of day. Luck Of A Foghorn will unearth these images along with footage from the making of Prometheus. Laird Dixon (from Shark Quest) has created an original score for Luck Of A Foghorn and it is hauntingly beautiful. The title of the featurette originates from a surreal day dream Bickford had while hovering near death with pneumonia in hospital.
I hope to have the DVD ready for sale on the Bright Eye Pictures site (along with Monster Road) no later than February 1, 2008. [See update, below.] Bickford has several films that have hovered near completion for years. Hopefully, the release of Prometheus’ Garden will spark a chain reaction so that Bickford’s recent work can find the audience it deserves.
As readers of Mugu Brainpan may recall, I’m huge fan of Bickford’s truly amazing animation (to wit and thus). It is my considered opinion that he is one of the greatest animators ever, as well as among the greats of visionary film more generally.
The reclusive filmmaker, who lives in the Seattle area, garnered some well-deserved attention thanks to the excellent aforementioned documentary, Monster Road (2005), after many years of grossly undeserved obscurity (not helped, I’m sad to say, by copyright snarls involving the Zappa estate). Following that release, Bruce surfaced in 2006 with an all-too-small spate of rare screenings and public appearances in Baltimore and Seattle, including a May 2006 screening at the Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery that included a recently completed new work of line animation.
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore included clay sculptures and projections by Bickford in Home & Beast, an exhibition that opened in October 2006 and ran for a year. His work was featured alongside paintings by William Kurelek in a gallery of the exhibit titled “Home Sweet Home,” described by the Museum as exploring “memories of home life and what, in fact, constitutes a home.”
Since precious few of Bickford’s astonishing film works are in circulation (and not even Canyon Cinema includes him in their legendary catalog of avant garde works), news of this DVD release is very good indeed. Keep an eye out, and kindly ask for it at your neighborhood video outlet.
Update: Brett Ingram recently announced on his blog that release of this DVD has been delayed (again), as he works to complete editing on Luck of a Foghorn: The Making of Prometheus’ Garden. Once completed, the whole shebang will still need to be mastered and duplicated, so it will be some weeks (at best) before the disc sees the light of day. Brett also announced he is launching a new web site, BrettIngram.org (still very much under construction, so don’t order yet), that will offer direct-sale copies of the Prometheus’ Garden DVD, as well as the collectors’ edition of Monster Road, his aforementioned (and excellent) documentary about Bruce Bickford. Watch this space for further info.
Bruce Bickford Films on Home Video
Baby Snakes (1979 - released on DVD in 2003) — A Frank Zappa concert film that includes several segments of Bickford’s animation. The most widely-seen examples of Bruce’s work.
The Amazing Mr. Bickford (1987, VHS - out of print) — A superlative anthology inexcusably unavailable on DVD. In Seattle, Scarecrow Video has a copy for rent (with deposit). Used copies also occasionally surface on eBay.
The Dub Room Special (1982 - released on DVD in 2005) — A sadly ill-fated TV special by Frank Zappa that, along with some great concert footage, includes various snippets of animation by Bickford.
Monster Road (2005 - released on DVD in 2006) — An excellent and endearing documentary that takes us into Bickford’s very private world. The DVD includes a number of his short films as extras, including spectacular examples of his line animation.
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08.06.07
Posted in Whatever, Cinema, Silent Films, Animation, Cinema History, 16mm Film at 9:42 pm by Spencer
For years now, Ray Healy in New Jersey been one of the last. He has been selling new 16mm prints of a choice list of titles from the old Blackhawk Films home/educational distribution catalogs, salted with some goodies of his own. For the last some years he’s been reliably found online at FilmClassic.com. I’ve bought from Ray, and he’s top notch.
Unfortunately, the duplication lab used by Ray for his offerings from the Blackhawk titles is closing up shop and he will not be able to offer them any longer. August 15, 2007 is the very last day for orders. Like, in just a few days.
So if you have any interest at all in collecting 16mm prints of silent comedies, go immediately to the Blackhawk offerings at FilmClassic.com and send in an order right away. He doesn’t do credit cards or PayPal, so you’ll have to overnight a check or money order. The clock is ticking now stopped.
Meanwhile, Mr. Healy does inform me that he will continue to offer his “Exclusives” listing of films for the foreseeable future. Which is at least some good news.
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05.31.07
Posted in Cinema, Nifty Links, Animation, Online Video at 8:57 pm by Spencer
WFMU’s Beware of the Blog has posted two very fine streams of ’70s-era animation by one Vincent Collins, a very talented animator that I regret to say I was not previously aware of. Well now I’m much the wiser, and you should be, too.
Of particular wonderment is his fantastic three minute film 200 (1975), Collins’ tribute to the US Bicentennial that was actually financed and distributed by none other than the US Information Agency, which was basically the “white” (open) propaganda fount during the Cold War. Among other things, it is proof positive that times have REALLY changed.
Below is the complete 200 via YouTube thanks to the mighty A/V Geeks. (Props to Michael Bester for his [standards-compliant!] Kimili Flash Plugin for WordPress.)
(Broken video link corrected 1/14/2007)
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05.13.07
Posted in Cinema, Silent Films, 3D, Animation, Me, Sci-Fi and Horror Flix, Backyard Movie Parties, 16mm Film at 1:44 pm by Spencer
Whilst picking nits in old posts, I discovered I never posted a film list from the 2005 backyard movie party. So here it is for the sake of the archives.
It was held Labor Day Sunday (Sept. 4), 2005, and was the first of the series held at Brian and Gary’s duplex in Ballard.
In this case, we had to scramble and relocate into the basement of Brian’s half due to rain. Unfortunately, the rain also meant a bunch of folks didn’t show up as they didn’t realize we had the basement option. On the other hand, it was already kinda cozy down there just with the folks who did show up, so maybe it was just as well.
The observant may note that some of the films shown were repeated for later backyard movie parties. This was largely because attendance for this one was sparse (plus they’re awfully good films). Now, however, effort is made not to have repeats…which is also easier now that my collection is larger. Then again, all rules were made to be broken, n’est ce pas?
Wabbit Twouble (1941, Warner Bros., USA)
Color, Sound.
Directed by Robert Clampett. Animation by Sid Sutheland, w/ Rod Scribner & Robert McKimson (uncredited).
Elmer seeks some west and wewaxation by going camping at Jellostone National Park. Unfortunately for him, he sets up atop Bugs’ rabbit hole. The first Bugs cartoon directed by Clampett, and the first of only four appearances of the “fat Elmer” character design (based on the real-life appearance of Arthur Q. Bryan, who provided his voice). The credits are written in Fudd-ese: “Diwected by Wobert Cwampett” and so on.
Betty Boop’s Ups and Downs (1932, USA)
B/W, Sound. An NTA television print ca. late 1950s or early ’60s.
Animated by Willard G. Bowsky and Ugo D’Orsi.
Directed by Dave Fleischer. Produced by Max Fleischer.
Earth goes bankrupt and is auctioned off. Saturn buys it and removes the magnet at the center, taking away gravity. Hilarity ensues. Includes some funny live action shots. One of the best Boop cartoons. (Repeated for Backyard Movie Party 2006, Part II - The Sequel.)
The Red Spectre (1907, Pathé Frères, FR)
(aka El Espectro Rojo and Satan de Divierte; orig. Le Spectre Rouge)
Tinting and stencil color, Added sound
Directed by Segundo de Chomón. Produced by Ferdinand Zecca.
A demonic magician attempts to perform his act in a strange grotto, but is confronted by a Good Spirit who opposes him. A delightful trick film that is only further enhanced by the added soundtrack of unidentified electronic and electro-acoustic music (portions of which were also used on my Blackhawk print of Nosferatu). Although the color has faded somewhat, it is still a lovely example of the Pathé Color stencil process.
The Merry Frolics of Satan(1905, Star Films, FR)
(orig. Les Quatre Cents Farces du Diable)
B/W with multi-colored tinting. Silent. Music: “Hal on Earth” and “Calling All Mothers” by the Hal Russell NRG Ensemble from Hal on Earth (Abduction CD, 1989)
Produced and directed by Georges Méliés.
A pair of British dolts visit an old wizard to obtain magic “pills” (more like “bombs” really) that explode and create whatever the thrower wants. Naturally, the wizard is actually Satan himself, who pursues and, well, bedevils the hedonistic fools with an army of acrobatic imps. The more the dolts use the magic bombs, the worse things go. In the end, a demonic carriage carries them into Hell, where they are roasted on a spit. One of Melies’ very best and most riotous films. (Repeated for Backyard Movie Party 2006, Part II - The Sequel.
A Chairy Tale (1957, Nat’l Film Board of Canada, CA)
(aka Il était une chaise)
B/W, Sound
Norman McLaren, with music by Ravi Shankar
The amusing, surrealistic fable of a young man (Claude Jutra) who struggles to sit on a chair (animated by Evelyn Lambart) that refuses to cooperate. The film used McLaren’s pixilation technique of stop-motion animating people and objects. A superb film that was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Canadian Film Award and a BAFTA Special Award.
Night on Bald Mountain (1933, FR)
(orig. Une nuit sur le Mont Chauve)
Alexandre Alexeïeff and Clare Parker
An animated interpretation of the orchestral “musical picture” by Mussorgsky with additional inspiration from a short story by Gogol based on a Slavic fairy tale. It was the first film to use Alexeieff and Parker’s creation, the pinscreen — an obliquely-lit board with thousands of movable pins which create varying shades of white-to-black depending on how far they extend out from the surface of the board. The result is a gorgeous mezzotint-like effect. Alexeieff was also an illustrator and engraver whose works graced a number of books and anthologies.
Third Dimensional Murder (1941, MGM, USA)
(aka Murder in Three Dimensions)
A Pete Smith Novelty. Directed by George Sidney.
B/W 3D (red/blue anaglyphic), Sound
An early 3D release made to show off the effect. Seven minutes of non-stop throwing of shit at you! And the Frankenstein monster!! (Repeated for Backyard Movie Party 2006.)
Frankenstein (1931, USA)
B/W, Sound
Directed by James Whale. Art Director: Charles D. Hall. Set design: Herman Rosse.
With Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, and Dwight Frye.
The original horror masterpiece, with legendary sets and stunning expressionistic photography. This print includes the famous “Well…we warned you!” prologue, but does not have the complete scene of the monster with the little girl, cutting away just before he throws her into the water. That scene was censored after the initial release and was not restored to the film until after 16mm prints were no longer being made of the film. Still, a fantastic film that still holds up 75 years later.
It Came From Outer Space [digest] (1953, USA)
B/W 3D (red/blue anaglyphic), Sound
Directed by Jack Arnold
A well-made 18 min. digest that preserves the narrative of the classic sci-fi feature. The print has turned a little red with age but still has effective 3D. (Repeated for Backyard Movie Party 2006.)
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05.10.07
Posted in Cinema, Events, Animation, Artniss, Experimental Film, Seattle Stuff at 9:18 pm by Spencer
Mugu Brainpan is a huge fan of animator Bruce Bickford, and you should be, too.
This Saturday, Seattle-ites will be treated to a rare, uh, treat when the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery down in Georgetown hosts a special screening of four recent short films by Mr. Bickford, including “the public debut of a recently completed untitled line animation.” If you’ve checked out the extras on the Monster Road DVD (Scarecrow has it for rent), then you know that Bruce’s line animation is even more mind-blowing than his clay stop motion…and that’s really saying something. It’s one of the only times I gave my TV a standing ovation.
As an added bonus, Seattle cartoonist Jim Woodring will host the evening, and the reclusive Mr. Bickford himself will be in attendance.
By way of teasers, here’s the current YouTube offerings of Bruce Bickford’s work.
Following is the full press release from the Fantagraphics blog. (Sorry the reference link takes so bloody long to load. For some reason you can’t link to an individual post but only the whole bloody month.)
Fantagraphics Bookstore Presents “The Idiosyncratic Cincema of Bruce Bickford” on Saturday, May 12
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to host a screening of animated shorts by Seattle-based artist Bruce Bickford on Saturday, May 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. This event, hosted by Bickford’s associate Jim Woodring, gives the public a rare opportunity to view new and recent works by the highly acclaimed, yet reclusive, filmmaker. Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale St. at Airport Way S. in Seattle’s Georgetown arts community. The screening is free to the public of all ages.
Bruce Bickford’s obsessive clay and line animations are at once seductive and grotesque. The son of a Boeing engineer, Bickford began working in film as an adolescent, drawing on childhood insecurities and dreams to create a stunning body of work of singular vision. His work gained international prominence when featured in Frank Zappa’s 1979 concert documentary Baby Snakes. Bickford’s contribution served as a dynamic visualization of Zappa’s approach to composition-as-metamorphosis. Bickford is the subject of the award-winning feature length 2005 documentary Monster Road, which will be available on DVD at the event. He continues to create subversive films in seclusion in his south Seattle studio.
The program on May 12 will feature four short films, including the public debut of a recently completed untitled line animation, in addition to other recent works. Seattle cartoonist Jim Woodring will serve as host. Woodring’s art, currently on view at Fantagraphics Bookstore, shares Bickford’s meticulous and visionary approach to the creative process. The screening will be followed by comments from Bickford and a question and answer period with the audience…
Listing Information:
The Idiosyncratic Cinema of Bruce Bickford
Saturday, May 12, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) Seattle
Admission Free. All Ages.
206.658.0110 www.fantagraphics.com
Hours: Daily 11:30 - 8:00 PM (Sundays until 5:00 PM)
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11.21.06
Posted in Whatever, Cinema, Animation, Online Video at 11:22 pm by Spencer
As I mentioned back in February, some folks are trying to make a Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers movie featuring stop-motion animation.
Back in September, in case you missed it like I did, they posted a “Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Pilot” clip on YouTube.
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09.06.06
Posted in Cinema, Events, Silent Films, 3D, Animation, Me, Sci-Fi and Horror Flix, Backyard Movie Parties, 16mm Film at 10:40 pm by Spencer
On Labor Day Sunday 2006 (Sept. 3), my pal Brian Alter and his duplex-neighbor Gary hosted their second annual backyard movie party, with me once again providing the films. Last year we were forced to retreat to Brian’s fortuitously-empty basement, but this year we were blessed with beautiful weather, complete with spectacular clouds shlooping across the Ballard moon and sky.
Brian has posted a Flickr album of photos from the night — some very nice low-light shots.
It was fairly last-minute and invitations were kept intimate, but even still there were a good 20 people or so lounging about Brian and Gary’s perfectly bowl-shaped backyard.
For me it was an extra special occasion as it was the 10th anniversary of having moved to Seattle, with the backyard movie party tradition being carried on, intermittently and mostly thanks to Scott Colburn, to now. I’ve been doing movie parties in backyards and garages since I was 10 or 11, so it was especially fun for me to celebrate this way.
This was also only three days before I left for the 10-day World 3D Film Expo II, about which I’ve been posting copiously. All the more reason, then, to show a couple 16mm anaglyphic 3D films.
Here’s the playlist of films we showed (all 16mm):
Superman: The Bulleteers (1942)
Fleischer bros.
8 min, color, sound
The 5th in the Fleichers’ legendary Superman series, and one of the very best of the lot.
Koko’s Earth Control (1928)
Fleischer bros. — prod. Alfred Weiss; director & animator(s) unknown
8 min, b/w, silent
Music: Integrales by Edgar Varese, cond. Pierre Boulez
One of the very last Koko the Clown films. In it, the world ends because the clown’s dog flips the wrong switch on the Earth Control machine. Features probably the bleakest ending of any mainstream cartoon ever. I thought the Varese hyper-doom worked very well with it.
[Maurice Sendak] (ca. 1964)
opening title & credits missing; provenance unknown
15 min, color, sound
Hanging out w/ Maurice in his studio, talking toys, books, and illustration. Awesome film.
The Palace of the Arabian Nights (1904)
prod. & dir. Georges Melies
15 min, b/w, silent
Music: tracks 6, 7, & 8 from Master Musicians of Jajouka, Apocalypse Across the Sky (Axiom/Island, 1992)
Hallucinatory “adaptation” of the Arabian Nights stories, featuring some of Melies’ most elaborate stagings ever. Rare.
Third Dimensional Murder (1941, aka Murder in Three Dimensions)
A Pete Smith Novelty, dir. George Sidney
7 min, red/blue anaglyphic 3D, sound
Early 3D release made to show off the effect. Seven minutes of non-stop throwing of shit at you! And the Frankenstein monster!!
It Came From Outer Space [digest] (1953)
dir. Jack Arnold
18 min, red/blue anaglyphic 3D, sound
A well made digest that has turned a little red with age but is still effective.
Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster (1974)
(aka Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster, orig. Gojira tai MekaGojira)
dir. Jun Fukuda
80 min, color, sound
The special feature presentation was more-or-less kept secret. The cheer that erupted when the title card flashed (after a nonsequitur intro) was one of the best moments of my summer. Not to be maudlin or anything.
Bimbo’s Initiation (1931)
Fleischer bros., animation by Myron “Grim” Natwick (uncredited)
7 min, b/w, sound
Great and weird early Bimbo / Betty Boop cartoon, complete with gleeful ass-slapping. “Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member? ……….Nyo.”
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06.01.06
Posted in Cinema, Music, Nifty Links, Animation, Avant Experiwhosis, Artniss, Experimental Film at 8:15 pm by Spencer
From Metafilter, a dense collection of great links (including video and audio) related to the great experimental animator and sculptor:
Len Lye: New Zealander Len Lye was a restless maverick - a pioneer of films without cameras (drawing directly onto the celluloid) and kinetic art (CD available through Atoll, sound samples here and here), and he was also quite handy with poems and inks. More about his Windwand and recently installed Waterwhirler on Flickr. Coralised open directory of short Waterwhirler movies here.
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03.28.06
Posted in Cinema, Events, Animation, Experimental Film at 8:43 pm by Spencer
Run, don’t walk, to the NW Film Forum this Saturday and Sunday (April 1 & 2) — 7pm only both nights — for a program of extraordinary short films dubbed Pioneers: Historic Shorts, 1930 -1950. It features very rarely shown works by some of the very best experimental animators ever; any one of these would be worth making tracks, so a whole program of this stuff is cause for lighting your butt rocket.
Visit the link above for a full listing, but there will be no less than five films by Oskar Fischinger (all but one of which I’ve never seen — and I’m a big fan), two films by the phenomenal Len Lye (including one of my personal favorites, Trade Tattoo [1937]), several films by pinscreen animators Alexander Alexeieff and Clare Parker that are pretty much literally never shown (including Sleeping Beauty [1934] and a number of their commercials from 1952-1961), and two films by Mary Ellen Bute (including her second work, Rhythm in Light [1935], for which she employed cellophane, ping-pong balls, sparklers, egg beaters, bracelets and barber poles…among other things).
See what I mean? Butt rocket, I’m tellin’ ya.
This program is part of NWFF’s annual special series ByDesign, co-presented with AIGA-Seattle, which explores “the intersection of graphic design and moving image.” It starts this Friday and runs through the weekend, and really I recommend all of the programs. But this one…say it with me now…butt rocket!
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