On the first day of film school, in a class called film aesthetics, this short film was screened. Right afterwards the class was asked to give their opinions on the film.
"I think it symbolized violence" one kid said.
"I think it represented human nature's tendency towards war and desire for sex" a girl from the back of the room blurted.
Then the teacher asked why were the clips separated by seconds of black. She asked what the significance of the music score was. The class went silent as the 30 some odd film aficionados thought of what it could symbolize, what the message was, what it all meant. Then, i raised my hand, and gave my interpretation...
This movie is a collection of seemingly random clips from newsreels and b movies, but is edited in such a way that it constantly begs the audience to ask questions. Why did the titles play 5 or 6 times throughout the film? Why did he show the Hindenburg exploding - backwards? Why start the movie with a topless girl taking her stockings off? What's with the music? Is the filmmaker trying to evoke some emotion with the visuals combined with the music?
Watching this movie is like staring up at the clouds and telling your friends what you see. It means something different to everyone who has ever watched it. By no means is this movie put together poorly, there is no order or theme to the clips, but it keeps the audiences attention even for the sole reason that you never know what your going to see next. If you ever get the chance to see this don't pass it up, it's only 12 minutes of your life but be prepared to spend at least 3 times that thinking about the film.
