Comments on: Not A Crime

Not A Crime

TheWhiteSkull — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:18:46 -0800

Montreal Cops Chase Skateboarders

Other classic short films about sport from the National Film Board: 60 Cycles Soccer I'll Go Again Football Story And as a bonus: Log Driver's Waltz

By: asnider

asnider — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:01:37 -0800

Log Driver's Waltz isn't a bonus. It's the main course. Thanks for sharing these. NFB has made some great films over the years.

By: maudlin

maudlin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:15:42 -0800

You can also stream the entire NFB library using one of their free apps.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:27:22 -0800

That's a great little film - and soundtrack too. Directed by Claude Jutra, in whose honour the annual Quebec film awards are named. It's somewhat chilling that even though skateboarding back then was apparently something rich kids did down the slopes of upper Westmount, the rambunctious, don't give a fuck skateboarder attitude was already fully formed.

By: obscurator

obscurator — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:37:36 -0800

From The Devil's Toy: "Attacks can be launched on level ground, however, by pushing the apparatus with the foot. Since the ground tends to remain stationary, this results in a forward displacement of the vehicle." Well I should hope so.

By: Ice Cream Socialist

Ice Cream Socialist — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:12:53 -0800

I really dig the music.

By: asnider

asnider — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:15:32 -0800

Well I should hope so. Earthquakes, man. The ground tends to remain stationary, except in the event of earthquakes.

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:53:20 -0800

Sonascope previously on the evils of skateboarding

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:19:48 -0800

This is a perfect little film, made that much more notable for having been made by Claude Jutra. Speaking of whom--whoa!--the NFB's got Mon oncle Antoine streaming for free in its entirety! Though it looks like a tragically subpar VHS rip.

By: googly

googly — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:02:29 -0800

Supercool. I work 100 yards away from the opening shot and it looks exactly the same (but in color).

By: Salvor Hardin

Salvor Hardin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:05:48 -0800

It's not that the ground really remains stationary in any sense, it's just that skateboarding works best when your inertia is considerably outbalanced by that of the Earth.

By: i_have_a_computer

i_have_a_computer — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:33:45 -0800

Supercool. I work 100 yards away from the opening shot and it looks exactly the same (but in color). And is the area still filthy with hipsters?

By: jade east

jade east — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:53:48 -0800

Years ago, I helped run a film night in the small town I lived in. We were picking the films from the NFB catalogue, and they would lend us the reels of film that we would show to the community. The films were listed in a small print catalogue without a ton of information and "the devil's toy" was a short I thought sounded like a crap shoot. I had zero expectations but showing it was just magic, one of my all time favourite shorts.

By: K'an

K'an — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:14:12 -0800

Ti-Jean Goes Skateboarding.

By: christopherious

christopherious — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:51:21 -0800

> You can also stream the entire NFB library using one of their free apps. To pull up this film in your mobile device, note that you have to search for "Claude Jutra"-- for the Android app at any rate. Searching for the title did not work for me. Perhaps this is because my language is set to English in the settings.

By: cupcake1337

cupcake1337 — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:14:54 -0800

great film making. the shots are so good. in almost 50 years nothing has changed. what kind of takes me out of is it the scene with the police, it has to be staged.

By: peacay

peacay — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 07:45:10 -0800

--it has to be staged-- It's a very weird film. I couldn't -- still can't -- quite work out what level of tongue in cheek or mockery or irony or seriousness one is supposed to read into it. It seems mostly a paean to skateboarding and teen enthusiasm and yeah, the music is really great during those long scenes. It's like two very different points of view are jostling for dominance. How very odd. Thanks TheWhiteSkull!

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:05:34 -0800

I couldn't -- still can't -- quite work out what level of tongue in cheek or mockery or irony or seriousness one is supposed to read into it. Really? If the tongue was any farther in cheek, it'd be busting through.

By: peacay

peacay — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:23:29 -0800

Heh. Maybe I'm having a late night attack of the credulities. I guess the age of it adds a level of doubletake too.

By: maudlin

maudlin — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:25:00 -0800

To pull up this film in your mobile device, note that you have to search for "Claude Jutra"-- for the Android app at any rate. That's weird. Searching for devil's toy pulled it up immediately in my iPhone, and I'm also using English settings. It also listed several other films with "toy" in the title and a bunch of related films, so the search algorithm seems to go for volume over specificity.

By: Twang

Twang — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:31:06 -0800

Sonascope previously... "these kids are disrespectful, arrogant, entitled little feral street rats" Who grew up to be US bankers and politicians, it would seem.