There is, for instance, the fragile and shimmering beauty of tiny fairies placing dewdrops on cobwebs in the first passage of the "Nutcracker Suite" and the lovable humors of the Chinese mushrooms dancing in the same selection there is the familiar hectic comedy of Mickey Mouse in Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the titanic upheavals of the earth and the roaring battles of prehistoric animals in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," the winsome charm of baby fauns and sleek little centaurettes gamboling on pink fields of asphodel in Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" and the superb satire on ballet, with ostrich, hippopotamus and elephant performers, in Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours." The final selections are Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," visualized with a weird and terrifying assortment of skeletons, ghouls and imps swirling around the monstrous devil of the mountain, and then a solemn, liturgical illustration of Schubert's "Ave Maria."Naturally, there are things about this film which one might readily criticize. But the high points cannot be overlooked. Taylor returns to explain the second selection - Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite"-and so the picture goes.Space limitations prevent a detailed consideration of each number. It is intended, obviously, to create the necessary mood of reverie, of immaterial detachment necessary to the complete comprehension and enjoyment of the entire program. Stokowski - or rather his shadow-dramatically ascends the podium, and the concert begins.Some of the High PointsThe first number is Bach's Toccata and Fugue, illustrated abstractly on the screen with brilliant colors flowing and merging, lacy figures cometing through space, a sky-writing cipher tracing patterns and sprays of falling stars. It is, he explains, a representation of "designs and pictures and stories" which the selected music has inspired in the minds of a group of artists.
From the beginning-from before the beginning, in fact, when vague shadows of musicians appear on the screen, when the sound of instruments being tuned is heard and when finally the theatre lights go down and Deems Taylor steps up on the orchestra platform to introduce the show-it is obvious that this is a visual concert, with Mr. This is one time, we warrant, you won't want to listen to music with your eyes shut.For, as mentioned, you need not expect the customary collaboration of film and music. But for this corner's money-and, we reckon, for the money of any one who takes it in the blithe and wondrous spirit in which it is offered-"Fantasia" is enchanting entertainment. Artistic innovations never breed content. Probably there will be much controversy, and maybe some long hair will be pulled. Olin Downes is making the official observation for his department in an adjoining column. In brief, they have merged high-toned music with Disney's fantastic imagery.What the music experts and the art critics will think of it we don't know. Stokowski's band record them on multiple sound tracks, and have then given them visual accompaniments of vast and spellbinding range. Disney and the boys have gone aromping in somewhat more esoteric fields they have taken eight symphonic numbers which are generally reserved for the concert halls, let Mr.
In the same fresh, light-hearted spirit which has marked all their previous cartoons Mr. Disney and his troop of little men, together with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra and a corps of sound engineers, have fashioned with music and colors and animated figures on a screen a creation so thoroughly delightful and exciting in its novelty that one's senses are captivated by it, one's imagination is deliciously inspired.
And then let's get on from there.For the vital report this morning is that Mr. Let us temperately admit that "Fantasia" is simply terrific-as terrific as anything that has ever happened on a screen. At the risk of being utterly obvious and just a bit stodgy, perhaps, let us begin by noting that motion-picture history was made at the Broadway Theatre last night with the spectacular world première of Walt Disney's long-awaited "Fantasia." Let us agree, as did almost every one present on the occasion, that the sly and whimsical papa of Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Pinocchio and a host of other cartoon darlings has this time come forth with something which really dumps conventional formulas overboard and boldly reveals the scope of films for imaginative excursion.
0 kommentar(er)
