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L’Idée (1932)
Apr. 1st, 2019 12:06 pmILast night we rewatched Yellow Submarine (1968j and afterwards I went on the internet hoping to figure out some of the film’s sources for footage to rotoscope, etc. No luck yet, but while googling “multi-plane camera,” hoping to find more detail on that beautiful shot at the beginning of the “Eleanor Rigby” sequence, I learned of L’Idée (1932), by Berthold Bartosch, who had worked with Lotte Reiniger and years later mentored George Dunning (that’s the specific connection to Yellow Submarine — Dunning directed it).
Anyway, of the versions of L’Idée that I could find online, the slightly-less-blurry one is here: https://youtu.be/joiOYX_73jI
It’s about twenty-five minutes long, done with cut-out animation and soap-on-glass for a lot of the effects. I’ve no idea whether a cleaner copy exists or whether it was always that fuzzy. The symbolism is not exactly subtle— a nude woman representing an Idea (probably Socialism by the looks of things) goes into the world, survives attempts to suppress her, inspires a failed revolt and a lot of martyrs but cannot herself be killed. The bits that work *really* work— I’m especially fond of the shot from inside a cafe as people move along the crowded, rainy sidewalk outside. The score is by Arthur Honegger and uses an early electronic instrument called the Ondes Martenot. Worth seeing if you like early animation, early synths, or Expressionist paintings that move. Possibly NSFW (contains lots of drawings of a symbolic nude lady)
Anyway, of the versions of L’Idée that I could find online, the slightly-less-blurry one is here: https://youtu.be/joiOYX_73jI
It’s about twenty-five minutes long, done with cut-out animation and soap-on-glass for a lot of the effects. I’ve no idea whether a cleaner copy exists or whether it was always that fuzzy. The symbolism is not exactly subtle— a nude woman representing an Idea (probably Socialism by the looks of things) goes into the world, survives attempts to suppress her, inspires a failed revolt and a lot of martyrs but cannot herself be killed. The bits that work *really* work— I’m especially fond of the shot from inside a cafe as people move along the crowded, rainy sidewalk outside. The score is by Arthur Honegger and uses an early electronic instrument called the Ondes Martenot. Worth seeing if you like early animation, early synths, or Expressionist paintings that move. Possibly NSFW (contains lots of drawings of a symbolic nude lady)
