Comments on: I'm 71. I've got a right to be loud, lady. I'm gonna die soon.

I'm 71. I've got a right to be loud, lady. I'm gonna die soon.

miss lynnster — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:29:34 -0800

In 1964, Mel Brooks won both the Oscar & BAFTA Best Short Film awards for The Critic. His first film, it revolves around an old man heckling abstract animation that he doesn't understand. Youtube (lower quality) | brettratner.com (higher quality)

By: Jon Mitchell

Jon Mitchell — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:37:54 -0800

The "make a shoe" line killed me. Thanks!

By: ORthey

ORthey — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:39:18 -0800

"Could this be the sex life of two things?"

By: anthill

anthill — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:45:46 -0800

I'm not sure I could make any more sense of that animation than he did. Also: Ed the Sock.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:58:34 -0800

Thank you, Miss Lynnster! That just made my day! =)

By: saladin

saladin — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:00:28 -0800

Delightful!

By: hal9k

hal9k — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:00:30 -0800

Years ago I was pointing at my dad and saying "That's you!" Funny how all these years later that same finger points elsewhere and I find myself saying "That's my kids!"

By: jsavimbi

jsavimbi — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:11:58 -0800

I have a right to be loud.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:11:59 -0800

"It must be some symbolism. I think it's symbolic of...junk." Neat find, thanks.

By: spock

spock — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:14:36 -0800

Imagine what direction Brooks' career might have taken if Flash™ had been invented in the mid-60s.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:28:21 -0800

Imagine what direction Brooks' career might have taken if Flash™ had been invented in the mid-60s. It'd be short and called "Skip Intro" A two word voice-over would rasp: "Fuck dis"

By: rob511

rob511 — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:35:49 -0800

Mel only steals from the best: himself. From The Producers ('68) — Franz Liebkind: Hitler... there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in ONE afternoon! TWO coats!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:56:56 -0800

"I dunno much about psych-analysis but I'd say this is a dirdy picture". Didn't expect to enjoy it much and loved it. Neat. Reminds me of the old farts who used to talk in Museum Of Modern Art films in NYC. Seniors used to get a good deal with a membership, tons of free movies and many of them, the films and the seniors, were funny.

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:20:49 -0800

it revolves around an old man heckling abstract animation that he doesn't understand I think he understood it alright.

By: goingonit

goingonit — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:44:25 -0800

By: empath

empath — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:52:06 -0800

Well there was fantasia, and the like.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:03:51 -0800

When in the history of film did people create--much less screen--films of a bunch of triangles dancing to harpsichord music? I believe you're describing the entire output of the Canadian film industry -- as seen from the rest of the world, anyway.

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:08:15 -0800

Mel only steals from the best: himself. Well.... This, though, this is nice. A nice little film.

By: Reggie Digest

Reggie Digest — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:44:38 -0800

did people ever actually make films like the one "The Critic" is making fun of? Yes.

By: blacklite

blacklite — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:47:38 -0800

goingonit: This is probably one of the most accessible summaries of Norman McLaren's filmmaking style. I think there will be some triangles dancing to harpsichord music in there, though it's been a while. McLaren was a Scottish immigrant to Canada, who was basically allowed to make whatever he wanted at the National Film Board. So he did.

By: blacklite

blacklite — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:48:01 -0800

Oop, Reggie beat me.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:56:13 -0800

When in the history of film did people create--much less screen--films of a bunch of triangles dancing to harpsichord music? I'm sure I can remember stuff like that being inflicted on us a kid... And Errr Dot And Line? (Though I think that would be improved by an old Jewish guy moaning over it 'How could a dot love a Live? What's that limey going on about?')

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:57:57 -0800

"Uh-oh, it's a cock-a-roach." Thank you, miss l. This was woith staying alive a few more minutes for. I'm gonna go croak now. But foist, lemme tell you what things were like back in Russia...

By: DU

DU — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:27:26 -0800

Dot and Line isn't abstract and is perfect as-is.

By: SmileyChewtrain

SmileyChewtrain — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:56:11 -0800

Waiiit wait wait wait wait. Why is this on Brett Ratner .com ?

By: goingonit

goingonit — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:00:57 -0800

Thanks everyone! I should have guessed that the National Film Board had a hand in this (though by the time I was being subjected to NFB shorts, they were more along the lines of "The Cat Came Back" and "The Log-Driver's Waltz")

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:07:47 -0800

I was waiting for someone to notice that, SmileyChewtrain. Brett Ratner apparently has a blog and he's hosting a better version than I found anywhere else. I was torn... I'm yet another non-fan -- he seems to be a total jerk for various reasons -- but I AM a fan of linking to the best version of something when I'm making an fpp. So I put the youtube link there too & figured I'd let people pick for themselves whether or not to use his bandwidth.

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:13:37 -0800

My first thought: did people ever actually make films like the one "The Critic" is making fun of? When in the history of film did people create--much less screen--films of a bunch of triangles dancing to harpsichord music? Is there some sort of Geometric Era of European Cinema to which I was heretofore oblivious? Yes indeed. A good place to start is the Center for Visual Music. Generally, films like the one that Brooks was spoofing were called "visual music" or just "abstract animation." Aside from Norman McLaren, there's also Jordan Belson, Oskar Fischinger, John and James Whitney, and Harry Smith (who also collected the first major anthology of American folk music).

By: intermod

intermod — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:43:05 -0800

One lonely feeble vote for MEH. I'd like my 3:24 back. Oh, plus the 2 minutes I spent reading these comments to see if I'd missed anything trenchant or, well, "genius". Mel Brooks is fabulously overrated. Maybe more Yakkity Sax would help.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 19:47:25 -0800

intermod, what about your $2?

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:21:09 -0800

So I put the youtube link there too & figured I'd let people pick for themselves whether or not to use his bandwidth. I'll use his bandwidth. He owes me more than that for what he did with X-Men 3.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:33:58 -0800

Mel Brooks is getting a new generation of fans. There's this computer-animated cartoon for kids Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks where they have these interludes with a sheep trying to get the other sheep to do things (act, sing, escape, etc). The ambitious and only speaking sheep is, of course, Mel Brooks, and he's hilarious. Once Mel Brooks was being interviewed on the radio and I heard a small kid say "Hey Mom! It's the sheep!" It is not great, but I managed to find a link of a small scene with Mel.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:52:32 -0800

There is one key reason that I have to respect Mel Brooks forever. I have no choice. It's very easily in my top 5.

By: Poolio

Poolio — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:00:27 -0800

I never thought I'd see Brett Ratner's name linked to something of "higher quality".

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:28:14 -0800

Mel Brooks is teh awesome. Not only is he funny, he's smart. Funny smart. Even his dumb movies are smart. Basically because they're dumb for a reason, and that's smart. It's good to be king...

By: rusty

rusty — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:18:51 -0800

MetaFilter: Symbolic of... junk.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:26:43 -0800

This is great. Thanks, miss lynnster.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:12:40 -0800

Thank you for this. Once he goes "Dots. What is this?" Reminded me of metafilter obits.