Sweet 16mm: Celluloid Synesthesia

Opens on November 11

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Director: Luis Buñuel, Norman McLaren, Salvador Dalí, Saul Bass, Zdeněk Miler Run Time: 100 min. Format: 16mm Film

Vidiots invites you back for more archival celluloid weirdness with Sweet 16mm – Celluloid Synesthesia, a one-of-a-kind night of eye-popping, mind-bending, surreal, and hallucinatory 16mm short films culled from the legendary A/V Geeks and Oddball Films archives as well as the graciously donated collection of the James Hollander family. From the 1920s through the 1980s, these are some of the most visually arresting films ever made including Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel’s seminal masterpiece Un Chien Andalou, Saul Bass’ musings on creativity, Norman McLaren’s jaw-droppingly beautiful Pas de Deux, a trippy Little Mole cartoon from the former-Czechoslovakia, a hypnotic symphony of robots, and more phenomenal sights you’ve yet to ever behold on the silver screen!

Featuring:

Un Chien Andalou (“The Andalusian Dog”, B+W, 1928)

Made in France by the brilliant Spanish director Luis Buñuel and the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí. Un Chien Andalou is one of the best-known surrealist films of the avant-garde movement of the 1920s. It uses dream logic that can be described in terms of then-popular Freudian free association, presenting a series of tenuously related scenes that attempt to shock the viewer’s inner psyche. Its opening scene is one of the most famous in cinema history. Print courtesy of the James Hollander family.

Why Man Creates (Color, 1969)

A series of explorations, episodes and comments on creativity by Saul Bass, a master of conceptual design, this film is one of the most highly regarded short films ever produced. Humor, satire and irony are combined with serious questions about the creative process and how it comes into play for different individuals. A fascinating cornucopia of trenchant ideas and important truths it’s transgressive and insightful, way-out and weird. Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short in 1969. Print courtesy of the James Hollander family.

Pas De Deux (B+W, 1968, Norman McLaren)

Canadian experimental animator, Norman McLaren uses film to create a hypnotic dream world out of the simple balletic movements of two dancers. With minimal lighting, the two glow against the black backdrop, and as he utilizes camera and editing techniques, the dance is transformed into a meditation of movement and pure, ethereal beauty. The optically superimposed images make the viewer aware of each scintilla of body motion. With dancers Margaret Mercier and Vincent Warren and a soundtrack by the Folk Orchestra of Romania. Winner of the 1969 BAFTA award for best animated film.

Dream of the Wild Horses (Color, 1962)

Directed by Denys Colomb de Daunant with an unsettling ambient musical score by Jacques Lasry, this cinematic poem uses slow motion and soft focus camera to evoke the wild horses of the Camargue District of France, showing them as they bound over the beach running through walls of fire and water. A remarkable film, at once awe-inspiring and terrifying.

The Mole and the Music (Color, 1974)
Zdeněk Miler’s little mole Krtek is an internationally beloved character that spanned six decades of animation (1956-2002). The mole’s gibberish language voiced by a human toddler led to its ease of distribution across the globe. His delightful antics are accompanied by vibrant, often psychedelic imagery, making them a treat for children and adults alike. In this charming installment, the little mole’s mousy friend breaks his record, so the pair set off to gather musical notes from the birds in the forest. Then they cook down the music and make their own psychedelic record.

Ballet Robotique (Color,1982)

An imaginative glimpse at the role of robotic technologies in the General Motors automotive assembly process. The film features beautifully shot footage of GM assembly line robots in action, synchronized to classical music performed by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The result is an over-the-top homage to the art and innovation of GM technology (in 1982, not today!). The film received two Academy Award nominations.