Adolf’s Busy Day
Lawrence Wright was an architect who turned his hobby into a vocation, using animation to take Herr Hitler down a peg or two in this comic propaganda cartoon.
BFI Presents: A History of British Animation
80 minutes
Courtesy of the British Film Institute, this special program offers a
refreshing new look at animations from across the channel. Beautifully
remastered by the BFI National Archive, the collection of shorts from
the 20th century reflect Britain's idiosyncratic contributions to world
cinema. From early renditions of stop-motion flourishes to animations
fueled by developments in art schools, this special programme is
definitely one to watch.
This program screened as part of KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival 2018
Showing in this program
Animated Doll and Toy Town Circus
Stop-motion film using toys and dolls. A female doll smokes. Circus scenes with horses and clowns.
Booster Bonzo; Or, Bonzo in Gay Paree
Britain’s answer to Felix the Cat hitches a ride to Paris, chats up a barmaid and goes a little overboard on vin rouge.
Britannia
A concise, caustic history of the Britain’s Empire which sees the British bulldog let off the leash but brought firmly to heel.
Do It Yourself Cartoon Kit
An irreverent but affectionate poke at the pretensions of the industry, enlivened by the creative spirit and offbeat humour of Bob Godfrey.
Ever Been Had?
The man on the moon meets the last Englishman on Earth, in a clever mix of propaganda, science fiction and comedy, with a killer punchline.
Fox Hunt
A Technicolor follow-up to the modernist masterpiece Joie de Vivre (1934), travelling from the English countryside to its new suburban towns.
Mr Pascal
A spiritual tale of remarkable humanity, going beyond religion to show faith in the value of small gestures of kindness.
Night Club
A vicarious night out lived through an animated sketchbook, offering a boiling, colourful study of human behaviour laid down to a hypnotic post-punk beat.
Queen’s Monastery
An acrobat returns from the military to the woman who loves him, but comes back a changed man. Her fantasies about the man he used to be puts the solider in conflict with his former self. Love and war played out to the music of Leoš Janáček in a strikingly unique watercolour style.
Shadows
Sammy and his dog Sausage were a cartoon double act of the 1920s, but they co-starred with their creator – the innovative animator Joe Noble. Cleverly interacting with his pen and ink creations, in this episode Joe comes off worse in a bout of shadow boxing.
Sorcerer’s Scissors
Mixing live-action, cut-out animation, statue smashing and dancing scissors, this is one of the earliest animated films in the BFI National Archive.
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The Ladder
This George Dunning short sees his art pared back to the barest of brushstrokes. Simple daubs of colour make up our cast of characters in a stark tale which elevates cartoon logic to a fine art.
The Transformer
All aboard the psychedelic steam engine. Key creatives from Yellow Submarine (1968) including Heinz Edelmann produced this stunning animation festival ident.
