An Animated History of Everything in 10 Minutes or Less - Fri. July 17th - 8PM

Oddball Films Media • Jul 16, 2015

Oddball Films presents An Animated History of Everything in 10 Minutes or Less, a program of 16mm animation from around the world that offers an array of abridged histories on such varied subjects as art, cinema, leisure, communication, warfare, kitties and more! The Oscar-winning Australian short Leisure (1976) mixes cell-animation and pop-art collage to make you think differently about the way you spend those off hours. Ken Rudolph takes us through the history of art in 8 pulsing minutes in Gallery (1969). From England's Halas and Batchelor studio, there's the succinct and wryly witty The History of the Cinema (1957). From the NFB, discover Bretislav Pojar's tale of the escalation of aggression and the arms race leading to global annihilation: Boom (1979). Revel in the Technicolor mermaids of the Phillips-sponsored Pan-Tele-Tron (1957), a survey of communication through the ages. 6,5,4,3,2,1 (1967) combines cell-animation and collage to create a vision on human progress from the dawn of man to the future of rocketeering. The Story of Time (1949) is a beautiful and surreal stop-motion film about the telling of time from the stone age to the "modern" stop-watch; sponsored by Rolex. Di$ney brings us Of Cats and Men (1977), the historical journey of the domestic cat from Egyptian times to his current seat atop the hearts of men and crazy cat ladies alike. Plus, Pickles (1973) legendary Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto's brilliant animated montage featuring satirical and comical treatments of some of the world’s great preoccupations: advertising, drugs, television, hunger and more. Why waste time learning when you've got Oddball to infotain you with concise cartoons!

Date: Friday, July 17th, 2015 at 8:00pm

Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street San Francisco

Admission: $10.00 Limited Seating RSVP to RSVP@oddballfilm.com or (415) 558-8117
Web: http://oddballfilms.blogspot.com

Featuring:

The History of the Cinema (Color, 1957)
The History of the Cinema is an undeniable classic of animation, very British in its humor and very tied in with its period. With an irrepressibly optimistic narrator and great wit it takes us from the cavemen daubing on the rock, the pinhole camera, through the early silent movie era, and eventually to the rise of television. John Halas' 1957 movie also manages to convey facts in an amusing way. Thus we learn why Hollywood was so good for film-making (sun, dependable sun) and the vital role the censor paid in movie history - essentially he snipped away all the good bits of film and left the audience with the rest - and even the fads designed to withstand the impact of the little box in the home.

Leisure (Color, 1976)
Oscar-winning, fast-paced, humorous and thought-provoking film using animation by Australian newspaper cartoonist Bruce Petty. Utilizing a pop-art sensibility, the film emphasizes the use of leisure time as an important aspect of life in our society today, tracing its history and possible future.

Gallery (Color, 1971)

Watch the history of Western Art in 8 minutes! Ken Rudolph’s fast-paced stream of consciousness montage of art takes us from the caving paintings of the ancients, through the Renaissance to the surrealism of Dali and the pop art of Warhol. With electronic music by music by Walter (now Wendy) Carlos, creator of the soundscore for “A Clockwork Orange”.

The Story of Time (Color, 1949)

Sponsored by the Rolex watch company this truly unique Technicolor short pulls out all the stops in its history of time telling from prehistory through the modern age. With music from the London Philharmonic Symphony in the background The Story of Time utilizes surreal stop motion claymation, optical printing and over-the-top narration to give us a dazzling perspective on time through the ages.

Boom (Color, 1979)

The global arms race as animated by the legendary Bretislav Pojar (Balablok). Takes a look at the history of aggression and the theory that might makes right. By extension, it carries us into the atomic and missile age, postulating various scenarios for planetary self-destruction, both planned and accidental. Without narration, using only sound effects and music, the film asks the question: is this THE END? Awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 1979.

Pan-tele-tron (Technicolor, 1957)

Animated promotional film made for the Phillips Corporation stunningly illustrates the history of telecommunications with humor and panache in glorious Technicolor. Produced by Pearl and Dean (with animation from the great Vera Linnecar), this won the BAFTA award in 1957.

6,5,4,3,2,1 (Color, 1967, Krzysztof Debowski)
Imaginative animation and an unusual musical score combine to create a journey through time from 25,000 B.C. to the age of space exploration. Satirizes human history, explores relationships between man and his ideas and inventions, and raises questions about man's future. Very cool blend of cell and collage animation.

Of Cats and Men (Color, 1968)

Ever wonder how the cat got his place at the top of the domesticated animal food chain? This Walt Di$ney animation takes us through the history of the fickle feline from his early days with the Egyptians, overpopulation, mythical fear and the eventual rise to greatness in the world of people.

Pickles (Color, 1973)

Another eye-popper from the brilliant Italian animator Bruno Bozzetto (Allegro Non Troppo). In twelve animated vignettes, Bozzetto creates brilliant visual, satirical and comical treatments of some of man's great preoccupations: war, omnipotence, religion, democracy, advertising, drugs, television, hunger, "conquest" of nature.

About Oddball Films

Oddball films is a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Silicon Valley, Kurt Cobain: The Montage of Heck, television programs like Mythbusters, clips for Boing Boing and web projects around the world.

Our films are almost exclusively drawn from our collection of over 50,000 16mm prints of animation, commercials, educational films, feature films, movie trailers, medical, industrial military, news out-takes and every genre in between. We’re actively working to present rarely screened genres of cinema as well as avant-garde and ethno-cultural documentaries, which expand the boundaries of cinema. Oddball Films is the largest film archive in Northern California and one of the most unusual private collections in the US. We invite you to join us in our weekly offerings of offbeat cinema.