Jan Švankmajer: The Complete Short Films (1964 - 1992)

I've not watched the entire box of Jan Švankmajer shorts as yet but the ones that I have watched are terrific and I recommend them to anyone with even the slightest interest in experimental animation and film-making.

Currently, they can be had for as little as £15, which for 3 discs that cover an artist's entire short film work is pretty damn cheap. Go buy them now!

The Last Trick (1964)

Friendly rivalry turns nasty. Something I never noticed before is how the violin bow string passes through the hole in the key during Mr. Schwarzwald's First Trick.

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Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantasia G-moll (1965)

Absolutely beautiful and the organ music by J.S. Bach wasn't too shabby either.

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A Game with Stones (1965)

In his 3rd short it seems that Švankmajer really starts to understand what he can accomplish with stop-motion animation. It reminded me a little of the animations from BBC's Vision-On programme.

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Punch and Judy (1966)

The matches that Mr. Punch uses to light the candles over Joey's coffin are labelled "Rose of Peckham ". Where did a Czech filmmaker find matches from the East-End of London? Del Boy! And how do you do stop-motion with a guinea pig, unless... sniff

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The Garden (1968)

A non-animated and chillingly Kafkaesque story from Švankmajer. I'm not exactly sure what it's trying to say, but it's definitely saying something. Maybe something about collectivism (the rural setting, the garden, the vegetables and talk of food production) and the role of the community coming before the individual?

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Dr. Grapefruit (2015)

A man builds a Heath Robinson looking time-travel device out of wire, a George Foreman grill and a grapefruit. The camera dropping out of focus mirrors the man's loss of sanity, but towards the end the focus tightens and, as the man disappears, we question was he crazy or were we for doubting the possibility?

I loved the vaguely Middle-Eastern music seguing into choral into synth pop-folk. Also loved the mighty sideburns - I have a pair that are about 30 years old! There was one problem though: near the start of the film the man looks up directly into the camera, which I found jarring.

A very enjoyable film and Eli's first with a narrative. Whatever next!

Watch it here

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Eye Contact (2014)

The beauty and possible danger of the night. We start to feel worried for the subject. The paranoia. The loneliness. Shifts into something more sinister... or is it? I've walked home at night behind a woman and can imagine how they must feel with a strange man behind them, seemingly dogging their foot steps. But then eye contact is made and we're back to stalking territory again. Is it infatuation? Does it matter? Then we feel a palpable sense of dread as the stalking continues. The streets are narrower, poorly lit. The pace increases and the stalking becomes a terrifying chase.

For once out of focus shaky cam works. I really enjoyed this one. Total atmospheric immersion. Well done Eli!

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Hide and Go Seek (2014)

Great camera work and some really nice framing. Eli, did you know a black dog is a portent of doom or death? Sinister undertones in such a beautiful place. Not sure about the masks. Do they symbolise some sort of afterlife? Did the girls die in the woods? Did the second die searching for the first? Again, a beautifully shot, atmospheric short that suggests themes without trying to cram a plot into such a short time span.

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Reflections (2014)

This short has a little more narrative than Eli's usual shorts. There's a really nice close tracking shot at the beginning, following the woman through the field. I thought I'd finish with how the film made me feel throughout. Happiness. Fun. Carefree. Love. Fade into. Tension. Fear. Fade into. Nostalgia. Ritual washing. Mental instability.

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Pixels (2015)

A young girls decent into drug abuse after seeking help from that font of all knowledge, the internet. As the girl finds out, the drugs on't work, they just make it worse. Great use of Google (other search engines are available) to give narrative. A short film about the dangers of relying on armchair doctors and psychiatrists via the internet rather than the real people who care about you. Parents take note, talk with your kids every now and then. Great work Eli.

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Here Even So (2014)

Great Eli. I could have watched images of your dad's work for 30 minutes and been quite happy. The way you captured the way a home can suddenly seem empty but still be filled with objects and feelings left by someone that is missing was excellent. Loved the music - right up my street.

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Outer Space (1999)

This short, 10 minute, film re-edits and post-processes the '81 demon rape film The Entity. The imagery is fast cut, burned out, mirrored, re-spliced and generally fucked with to within an inch of its life. That's scary enough but now we get to the really spooky bit...the soundtrack, which is absolutely terrifying! Think of the dark ambience of Lustmord and Vitriol, the industrial electronica of Front 242, and the soundtrack remixes of UNKLE, fed into a million filters that stretch, throb, shift, darken, pop, crackle, loop until you have the sound of hell itself.

A great piece of film making; go watch it now.

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