Oddball Films Media
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Jan 4, 2015
Oddball Films presents Celluloid Archaeology, a program of rare and imaginative shorts that we've excavated from the vast depths of our 16mm collection to be saved from obscurity. From international animation to documentary, ethnomusicology to dance; these shorts run the gamut of styles, but all represent the power of film to expand the imagination and dazzle the eye. Most of the films are making their Oddball premiere and most are otherwise unavailable via home video or the internet, so it truly is a one of a kind night! Travel with ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Bess Lomax-Hawes as she reveals the profound regional spirituals of the Georgia Sea Island Singers (1964). Oscar-winning animator Dusan Vukotic brings us A Stain on His Conscience (1968), a poignant parable of mixed live-action and animation. See a rare glimpse into the early career of one of dance's most catalyzing figures in Paul Taylor: An Artist and his Work (1969). The surreal and stunning Vitaphone short Yamekraw (1930) features an all-black cast and a soundtrack by James P. Johnston. Go behind the scenes when Twiggy teams up with the audacious director Ken Russell for one dazzling musical epic in The Boyfriend Featurette (1971). A bull and matador jump out of the inkwell and into the action in the paint on glass- animated short Red and Black (1963) from Polish animator Witold Giersz. Come discover these filmic treasures you won't be able to unearth anywhere else.
Date: Thursday, January 8th, 2015 at 8:00pm
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street San Francisco
Web: http://oddballfilms.blogspot.com
Featuring:
Georgia Sea Island Singers (B+W, 1964)
A stunning and chilling piece of ethnographic musicology from Bess Lomax-Hawes, the sister of legendary ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax. This simple and mesmerizing short documents the regional and personal gospel stylings of the Georgia Sea Island Singers from the isolated community of the Sea Islands.
A Stain on his Conscience (Color, 1968)
An eery and breathtaking film from Oscar-winning Croatian animator Dusan Vukotic. A live-action man is followed by an animated stain that refuses to leave him alone; forever reminding him of his past misdeeds. Dark and poetic, this surprise from the Zagreb Film night is long overdue for a re-screening.
Paul Taylor: An Artist and his Work (Color, 1969)
"In modern dance, you're free to make up your own rules" - Paul Taylor
A rare portrait of a true dance icon. The iconoclastic modern choreographer that has reinvented dance countless times, talks about the formation of his dance company (that has now toured over 50 countries and spawned such alumni as Twyla Tharpe) and his views about movement, art and expressivity. With an all-star crew including cameraman Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens) and editor Mark Rappaport (From the Journals of Jean Seberg).
This newly uncovered Vitaphone short is set to James P. Johnston's ballad "Yamekraw: a Negro Rhapsody" and offers the semi-surreal tale of a man seduced and betrayed by the big city and deciding to return home to his dutiful wife. Stunning, moody and expressive, this beautiful piece features expressionistic sets and marvelous scenes of the city dance hall. The protagonist is played by Jimmy Mordecai from St. Louis Blues. James P. Johnston is thought of as the original jazz pianist and was a precursor to Duke Ellington and Fats Waller, bridging ragtime music with early jazz. He also composed the quintessential number of the Roaring 20's "The Charleston" and accompanied both Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith on piano.
The Boyfriend Featurette (Color, 1971)
Go behind the scenes with one of the most outlandish film directors of all time, Ken Russell, as he directs fashion-icon Twiggy in the musical epic The Boyfriend. See the eye-popping choreography, set design, costuming and personality that brought the beloved stage play to the big screen.
Red and Black (Color, 1963)
Working with oil-based paints on glass, master Polish animator Witold Giersz creates a fluid, color patch style that would influence many. The animator's hands feature prominently, giving a unique mixed-media wit to the piece.
About Oddball Films
Oddball films is the film component of Oddball Film+Video, a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Summer of Love, 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.
