Rythmetic
| Rythmetic | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman McLaren Evelyn Lambart |
| Produced by | Norman McLaren |
| Cinematography | Norman McLaren Evelyn Lambart |
| Distributed by | NFBC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English, French |
Rythmetic is a 1956 Canadian short animated film directed by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart for the National Film Board of Canada.[1]
It is an amusing, non-verbal lecture on the subject of mathematics and one of McLaren’s longest animated works.
McLaren wanted to make a truly international film about the inadequacies of communication between peoples of different cultures and languages. To this end, he used the most understood method of communication, Arabic numerals.[2]
Filmed without a camera or microphone and using McLaren’s scratch sound system, the film is a ‘crazy dance’ of mechanical actions and anthropomorphic gestures made by arithmetical figures and symbols; we hear rhythmic music with clicks or scratching sounds made by ink directly painted on the soundtrack. The filling of the background with bright figures against a dark background evoke a classroom blackboard and the teaching process. Classified as an educational film, it is also regarded as a visual and auditory work of art.[3]
Awards[edit]
- 6th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Bear, Short Films, 1956[4]
- Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1956
- Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo, Italy: First Prize, Abstract Films, 1957
- International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Diploma of Honour, 1957
- Chicago Festival of Contemporary Arts, University of Illinois Chicago: First Prize 1957
- Golden Reel International Film Festival, Film Council of America, New York: Silver Reel Award, Avant-Garde and Experimental, 1957
- Durban International Film Festival, Durban: Certificate of Merit, 1957
- Johannesburg International Film Festival, Johannesburg: Certificate of Merit, 1957[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Rythmetic". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Utako, Kuriharo. "Norman McLaren's Animated Film Rythmetic as Temporal Art" (PDF). bigakukai.jp. The Japanese Society for Aesthetics. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Utako, Kuriharo. "Norman McLaren's Animated Film Rythmetic as Temporal Art" (PDF). bigakukai.jp. The Japanese Society for Aesthetics. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "6th Berlin International Film Festival: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Rythmetic". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
External links[edit]
- Watch Rythmetic on the NFB website
Rythmetic in the NFB collection catalog
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- 1956 films
- 1956 animated films
- 1950s animated short films
- Canadian animated short films
- Animated films without speech
- Films directed by Norman McLaren
- National Film Board of Canada animated short films
- 1950s Canadian animated films
- Short animated film stubs
- 1950s animated film stubs
- Pre-1960 Canadian film stubs
- 1950s film stubs