Arthur Lipsett
Encyclopedia
Arthur Lipsett was a Canadian avant-garde
director
of short experimental film
s.
In the 1960s he was employed as an animator
by the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB). Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an interesting auditory sensation. After playing one of these creations to friends, they suggested that Lipsett combine images with the sound collage. The result is a 7 minute long film Very Nice, Very Nice
which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects in 1962. Despite not winning the Oscar, this film brought Lipsett considerable praise from critics and directors. Stanley Kubrick
was one of Lipsett's fans, and asked him to create a trailer
for his upcoming movie Dr. Strangelove
. Lipsett declined Kubrick's offer. Kubrick went on to direct the trailer himself; however, Lipsett's influence on Kubrick is clearly visible in the released trailer.
Lipsett's meticulous editing and combination of audio and visual montage was both groundbreaking and influential. His film 21-87
was a profound influence on director George Lucas
who included elements from 21-87 in THX 1138
, his Star Wars
films and also American Graffiti
. The film 21-87 has been credited by Lucas as the source of the "The Force" in Star Wars. Lucas never met the filmmaker but tributes to 21-87 appear throughout Star Wars. For example, the holding cell of Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
on the Death Star
is cell No. 2187.
In 1965, he completed A Trip Down Memory Lane
, utilizing newsreel footage from over a fifty year period, and intended as a kind of cinematic time capsule
.
Lipsett's success allowed him some freedom at the NFB, but as his films became more bizarre, this freedom quickly disappeared. In his later years, he suffered from psychological problems. including bipolar disorder
, which progressed in severity. Lipsett committed suicide
in 1986, two weeks before his 50th birthday.
, was produced by Public Pictures in association with the NFB, Bravo! and TVOntario
. The Arthur Lipsett Project: A Dot on the Histomap is a 2007 NFB documentary directed by Eric Gaucher. In 2010, the NFB produced the short animated documentary
Lipsett Diaries
, directed by Theodore Ushev
and written by Chris Robinson.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
of short experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
s.
In the 1960s he was employed as an animator
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB). Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an interesting auditory sensation. After playing one of these creations to friends, they suggested that Lipsett combine images with the sound collage. The result is a 7 minute long film Very Nice, Very Nice
Very Nice, Very Nice
Very Nice, Very Nice is a 7 minute long avant-garde film made by Arthur Lipsett in 1961, and produced by the National Film Board of Canada....
which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects in 1962. Despite not winning the Oscar, this film brought Lipsett considerable praise from critics and directors. Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
was one of Lipsett's fans, and asked him to create a trailer
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for his upcoming movie Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
. Lipsett declined Kubrick's offer. Kubrick went on to direct the trailer himself; however, Lipsett's influence on Kubrick is clearly visible in the released trailer.
Lipsett's meticulous editing and combination of audio and visual montage was both groundbreaking and influential. His film 21-87
21-87
21-87 is a 1963 Canadian abstract film created by Arthur Lipsett that lasts 9 minutes and 33 seconds.The short film, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, is a collage of snippets from discarded footage found by Lipsett in the editing room of the National Film Board , combined with his own...
was a profound influence on director George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
who included elements from 21-87 in THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
, his Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films and also American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
. The film 21-87 has been credited by Lucas as the source of the "The Force" in Star Wars. Lucas never met the filmmaker but tributes to 21-87 appear throughout Star Wars. For example, the holding cell of Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
on the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
is cell No. 2187.
In 1965, he completed A Trip Down Memory Lane
A Trip Down Memory Lane
A Trip Down Memory Lane is a 1965 experimental film by Arthur Lipsett, created by editing together images and sound clips from over fifty years of newsreel footage....
, utilizing newsreel footage from over a fifty year period, and intended as a kind of cinematic time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
.
Lipsett's success allowed him some freedom at the NFB, but as his films became more bizarre, this freedom quickly disappeared. In his later years, he suffered from psychological problems. including bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, which progressed in severity. Lipsett committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1986, two weeks before his 50th birthday.
Works about Lipsett
Lipsett has been the subject of three documentary films. In 2006, a feature-length documentary about Lipsett, Remembering ArthurRemembering Arthur
Remembering Arthur is a documentary about film visionary Arthur Lipsett that debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. It is directed by Lipsett's close friend Martin Lavut and takes a personal approach to the story of his life through interviews with family, friends and colleagues...
, was produced by Public Pictures in association with the NFB, Bravo! and TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
. The Arthur Lipsett Project: A Dot on the Histomap is a 2007 NFB documentary directed by Eric Gaucher. In 2010, the NFB produced the short animated documentary
Animated documentary
The animated documentary is a genre of film which combines the genres of animation and documentary. This genre should not be confused with documentaries about movie and TV animation history that feature excerpts.- History :...
Lipsett Diaries
Lipsett Diaries
Lipsett Diaries is a 2010 short animated documentary about the life and art of troubled experimental filmmaker Arthur Lipsett, animated and directed by Theodore Ushev and written by Chris Robinson...
, directed by Theodore Ushev
Theodore Ushev
Theodore Ushev is an animator, graphic designer, illustrator and multimedia artist, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.He was born in Bulgaria and graduated stage decoration, animation, and make-up at Plovdiv's School of Scenic Arts.He obtained a Master degree in Graphic Design from the National Academy...
and written by Chris Robinson.