“The Cat Piano”, a marvelous animated short film by The People’s Republic of Animation, directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson and narrated by Nick Cave.
In a city of singing cats, a lonely beat poet falls for a beautiful siren. When a mysterious dark figure emerges, kidnapping the town’s singers for his twisted musical plans, the poet must save his muse and put an end to the nefarious tune that threatens to destroy the city.
via i09
The Mascot (part 2) - Ladislas Starewicz
The Mascot (part 1) - Ladislas Starewicz
Brothers Quay - Institute Benjamenta “Classroom Dance”
The Little Girl Who Was Forgotten By Absolutely Everyone (Even the Postman)
by Katy Towell of http://skary.net/
fears of the dark on IFC ondemand and in theatres, limited release ::
“FEAR(S) OF THE DARK [aka: PEURS DU NOIR] is a wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world’s most renowned comic and graphic artists - Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. From a besotted student whose girlfriend is weirdly ardent in her affections, to a Japanese schoolgirl menaced by a long-dead samurai, and a pack of hounds on a bloodthirsty rampage, FEAR(S) has a story strand to trouble every sleep - not to mention a stunning range of animation styles. Shot in shimmering black and white, the six intertwined tales create an unprecedented epic where phobias and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense.”
Ladislaw Starewicz - Mest’ kinematografičeskogo operatora aka The Cameraman’s Revenge (1912, 13 minutes) ::
“in Russia and later in France, Wladyslaw Starewicz (also billed as Ladislas Starevitch), a Polish art student and amateur entomologist, created stop-motion animation with bugs and dolls; among his most celebrated films are The Cameraman’s Revenge (1912), in which a camera-wielding grasshopper uses the tools of his trade to humiliate his unfaithful wife, and the feature-length The Tale of the Fox (1930), based on German folktales as retold by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.”
I watched this in a History of Animation course back in my university film student days. Definately one of the most amazing things I have ever seen or has ever been made. If I remember correctly, the artist used anesthetized bugs so that he could move their limbs with out them breaking off, as they would when the bugs were dead. So no bugs were harmed* in the making of this flick. Starevitch is credited as being the first filmmaker to make animated films with actual plots & The Cameraman’s Revenge, a story of infidelity among insects, is a prime example of his bizarre and often darkly amusing work.
It opens with Mr. Beetle going to town “on business,” to stop at “The Gay Dragonfly,” a burlesque parlor.
He meets a dancer who he takes to a hotel room… the grasshopper at left wanted her too, though, and he’s mad at the beetle’s rudeness.. he’s also got a movie camera!
…
ooh I’m so inspired! Lately I’ve been recalling many awesome things I’ve forgotten I know. Now I want to google more films/filmmakers in this creepy animation genre, like works by Jan Švankmajer & The Bros Quay. oh and musn’t forget about The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb.
(*Assuming that insects enjoy being really doped up!)
♥m*
