Short Film Saturday: Imitation is Suicide
Ahh, a short that both does not need and does not utilize dialogue. It’s a refreshing change of pace, as well as being an uncynical call to disconnect every once in a while. Enjoy!
Short Film Saturday
Short Film Saturday: The Birth of the Goalie of the 2001 F.A. Cup Final
Mike Leigh’s improvisational filmmaking style did not come to him out of thin air. It was developed and one way in which he did is through short films. This one movies and tells a simple story quickly and economically. Here is Open Culture’s take:
The short, which consists of ten vignettes spanning a half-dozen years, is about a couple deciding whether or not to have a baby. The nameless bloke repeatedly asks his reluctant partner, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a kid?” At the end of the movie, he’s kicking the ball around with his young son. The end. It is almost as if Leigh wanted to see how little backstory and character psychology he could get away with.
Short Film Saturday Kid Warrior: The Xiuhtezcatl Martinez Story
Keeping this topic alive and varied this week I offer a short documentary about a young man who is an activist and fighting for awareness and solutions to fight climate change and making a positive difference. It’s inspiring and well-crafted, I won’t spoil the details. It’s well worth a watch.
Short Film Saturday: The Butcher
Another short film to keep the momentum up and bring a little brightness to your Saturday. It’s funny and has some sound effects. Enjoy!
Short Film Saturday: Kandinsky Drawing
It’s been far too long since I’ve included shorts here so why not start with a little art. The creative process being caught on film is one of the unique things the motion picture can do. If you want a more art buff-friendly insight to this abstract creation follow the Open Culture link where I found this short.
Short Film Saturday: Alice’s Wonderland (1923)
As the first short film for this year’s March to Disney I present not only an early experiment in hybrid filmmaking (live action and animated) but also Disney’s earliest series of shorts, which consisted of these experiments featuring a protagonist named Alice.
Short Film Saturday: Melody (1953)
Here is another educational Disney short in the same series as Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. This one may meander a bit, but it’s still catchy and the unique animation style really shines through.
Short Film Saturday: Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe
With the release of The Peanuts Movie there was the unexpected surprise of a new short film in front of it. It’s an Ice Age tale, following scrat again, and with a similar formula to others. It’s humorous, and diverting enough though it ends a bit abruptly.
Short Film Saturday: Where Are They Now?
I liked this one in spite of myself. There are some really good gags here (some not as much), especially if you’re a fan of the cartoons they’re referencing.
Enjoy!
Short Film Saturday: Peter and the Wolf (1958)
No this is not the version that is wholly animated by Disney, that I previously discussed. Nor is this the live-action/animation blend with a contribution from Chuck Jones. This is a 1958 Soviet produced stop-motion animation version. The narration and intermittent dialogue is not subtitled. However, the Wikipedia blurb on the film should help delineate the variations between this version and the traditional. Aside from length:
The Russian animation studio Soyuzmultfilm produced a version of the work in 1958. It is puppet stop motion animation, directed by Anatoly Karanovich and narrated by I. Medvedyeva. This version makes the following changes to the story:
-In the beginning the bird sees the wolf in the forest and warns Peter’s grandfather, who goes to get the hunters and tells Peter not to leave the fenced-in yard.
– The cat, after failing to catch the bird and duck, goes to the forest to solicit the help of the wolf.
-Peter picks up the duck and runs to safety, leaving the cat outside with the wolf.
-The wolf, not being very particular, eats the cat.
Enjoy!
