From: emru@CAM.ORG (Emru Townsend)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime,rec.arts.animation,alt.tv.liquid-tv
Subject: Re: More Hiroshima '92 stuff
Date: 25 Jan 93 15:55:17 GMT
Organization: MegaCorp Central Complex

tal691@huxley.anu.edu.au (Tonio Loewald) writes:

>>And now, part two of our program...
>> 
>>One week after our last reviewed showing, the Cinematheque Quebecoise
>>showed the second part of their Hiroshima '92 program.  I'm not going to
>>bother with any preamble.
>> 
>>THE BOY AND THE LITTLE RACCOON (Tadahito Mochinaga, Japan, 13 mins;
>>stop-motion):  This is quite a cute tale, and easy to understand despite
>>being completely in Japanese.  A little girl raccoon encounters a bunch
>>of human kids.  After a little pestering, her mother transforms her into
>>a cute little girl.  (How the heck should I know how?  I just watch
>>them.)  She then goes out and explores the world of humans.  At times
>>too sugary for words, the film is at least entertaining, since the whole
>>film takes place on a small revolving set with a stationary background,
>>presenting the viewer with headache-inducing pseudo-parallax.

>Would you consider him an alternative animator, as opposed to all the 
>mainstream product we see here (about 99.9% of all posts)?

"Mainstream" I define as "established studio with national, simultaneous
distribution channels."  And these channels are from within the studio or a
partnership.  Therefore Disney and Warner Bros.' product are mainstream.  So
is Ren & Stimpy.

The shorts in most of these compilations will probably be hard to find on
video, rarely if ever seen on TV, and will never be seen by most North
Americans.  So I'd put those under "independent" (I have a problem with the
word "alternative.")

In summation: yes.

>>SABINA (Katherine Li, Canada, 7 mins; colored pencil):  Described as "a
>>visual poem inspired by the work of Anais Nin", this film is dedicated
>>to Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel.  This is by no means a
>>narrative; images of woman swirl and metamorphose.  It's quite nice to
>>watch, with a pleasant soundtrack.  Images and themes: women, water,
>>flight, women, water, light, women, and water.  There are worse ways to
>>spend seven minutes.

>If you know who Anais Nin is, or seen that film about Henry James (of
>which I can't remember the g_d_n name), this short sounds really dis-
>appointing.  (That was the "hentai" in me speaking, folks.)

I've only read Delta of Venus.  It was a long time ago, so my interpretation
may not be up to scratch, but isn't a subtext of the book the idea of a
woman's sexual liberation (i.e. control of her own body and sexuality, defined
on her terms)?

>>CHOREOGRAPHY FOR A COPY MACHINE (Chel White, USA, 3 mins; photocopied
>>images):  This has been through one of the festivals.  People, body
>>parts, and various items are animated via a photocopier, using some of
>>the unique distortions that a photocopier does best.  Very nicely
>>choreographed.  I'm pretty sure this was conceived one night when
>>someone was photocopying rude bits of their anatomy at the office...

>I'm sure I don't know what you mean?:-)

These are essentially animated photocopies.  Someone photocopied, say, their
breasts (that's the "hentai" in me speaking, folks), moved over a little,
photocopied again, moved over a little...

The distortions I speak of are the effects you get when you move something
while photocopying it.

>>THE VACUUM (Tim Rolt, Great Britain, 11 mins; pixellation):  Um.  Poor
>>Colin is sucked into a vacuum cleaner, and spends quite some time inside
>>until he is released in a rather bizarre fashion.  Weird characters and
>>some weird sets.  Frightening mama vacuum.

>Uh... I can imagine how Colin got out...  A bit of a sh<DON'T SAY IT!> 

No luck.

>Sounds like fun.  I'll s'pose I'm going to have to get videotapes of 
>all these.  Oh well...  (BTW, do you find that watching them one
>after the other wearisome?  The tournees do that to me.  There's always
>one short that's so boring I hibernate until the next one.)> 

If they're compiled well (i.e. there are peaks and valleys of various
emotions) I can -- and have -- watch them all day.  But if there's a long,
boring one... well, you read my description of Hotel E.

-- 
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