Closed Mondays
Encyclopedia
Closed Mondays is an 11-minute animated film using animated three-dimensional clay figures, cocreated by Will Vinton
and Bob Gardiner
in 1974. It was produced by Lighthouse Productions, released by Pyramid Films in the USA, and won an Academy Award for Animated Short Film
.
It is night. A small art gallery stands with its door slightly ajar and the lights on. A bulbous-nosed man with thinning grey hair, holding a brown bottle and apparently drunk, wanders in.
As he shuffles through the gallery, a small abstract sculpture
is transformed and imitates the man behind his back and returns to its original shape without his noticing.
The drunk sees a picture of colorful musical notes that form a circle around a jagged shape resembling a red staircase in the middle of the picture. The picture moves to upbeat music for a moment and then returns to normal. Doubting his own eyes, the man looks again. The music begins to play, and a miniature man resembling the drunk skips down the stairs, stands on one of the circling musical notes, rides it for a while, then continues down the stairs to the bottom. The entire picture then becomes two abstract color/clay blobs that pulsate to the music.
Suddenly the music stops and the drunk is back in the gallery, where he makes a critical comment ("What was that guy thinking of?!") and staggers away.
The man sees a sculpture of a computer
like device with large lips and gauges for eyes. He laughs at the sculpture and flips a lever that starts it. The sculpture begins speaking rapidly and says it's a "replica of the model 505 type P electro brain," claims to be far superior to its creators, and carries out its "infinite mutation" program. The computer begins to stutter as it tries to say it has a short circuit and an error before changing into a talking globe, a talking apple, a colorful bust of Albert Einstein
, a television
, and finally a hand with smaller hands at the end of each of the fingers before entirely melting down into a shapeless mass of clay.
The drunk walks away after making another comment ("Blabbermouth computer!") and is frightened by some jungle animals reaching through a glassless window pane that turns out to be a harmless painting.
Feeling distressed, the drunk walks on, where he sees a painting of a medieval woman kneeling on a castle
floor. She holds a brush in her hand and a bucket is beside her. The drunk asks her, "Hey… wassa matter?" She weeps and tells him, "Oh, if my master could have seen more of the beauty in life… Here I am on my knees, doomed to wear this sorrowful face, scrubbing this cold stone floor forever and forever and forever…" Then the painting returns to normal.
The drunk sees the still-open door and runs to get out of the gallery, but is stopped just before he gets there. He is a piece of statuary, and returns to his inanimate state before reaching the door.
The credits read:
Will Vinton
Will Vinton is an American director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.- Education :...
and Bob Gardiner
Bob Gardiner
James Robbins Gardiner was an animator who helped pioneer what would become known as Claymation. He was born in Torrance, California and died in Grass Valley, California. He received an Oscar in 1974 for his short film Closed Mondays, which he made in partnership with Will Vinton.-External links:...
in 1974. It was produced by Lighthouse Productions, released by Pyramid Films in the USA, and won an Academy Award for Animated Short Film
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
.
Plot summary
The film opens with the words "Closed Mondays" in white on a black background filling the screen, then the camera pulls out to show that the words are part of a sign that reads:It is night. A small art gallery stands with its door slightly ajar and the lights on. A bulbous-nosed man with thinning grey hair, holding a brown bottle and apparently drunk, wanders in.
As he shuffles through the gallery, a small abstract sculpture
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
is transformed and imitates the man behind his back and returns to its original shape without his noticing.
The drunk sees a picture of colorful musical notes that form a circle around a jagged shape resembling a red staircase in the middle of the picture. The picture moves to upbeat music for a moment and then returns to normal. Doubting his own eyes, the man looks again. The music begins to play, and a miniature man resembling the drunk skips down the stairs, stands on one of the circling musical notes, rides it for a while, then continues down the stairs to the bottom. The entire picture then becomes two abstract color/clay blobs that pulsate to the music.
Suddenly the music stops and the drunk is back in the gallery, where he makes a critical comment ("What was that guy thinking of?!") and staggers away.
The man sees a sculpture of a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
like device with large lips and gauges for eyes. He laughs at the sculpture and flips a lever that starts it. The sculpture begins speaking rapidly and says it's a "replica of the model 505 type P electro brain," claims to be far superior to its creators, and carries out its "infinite mutation" program. The computer begins to stutter as it tries to say it has a short circuit and an error before changing into a talking globe, a talking apple, a colorful bust of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and finally a hand with smaller hands at the end of each of the fingers before entirely melting down into a shapeless mass of clay.
The drunk walks away after making another comment ("Blabbermouth computer!") and is frightened by some jungle animals reaching through a glassless window pane that turns out to be a harmless painting.
Feeling distressed, the drunk walks on, where he sees a painting of a medieval woman kneeling on a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
floor. She holds a brush in her hand and a bucket is beside her. The drunk asks her, "Hey… wassa matter?" She weeps and tells him, "Oh, if my master could have seen more of the beauty in life… Here I am on my knees, doomed to wear this sorrowful face, scrubbing this cold stone floor forever and forever and forever…" Then the painting returns to normal.
The drunk sees the still-open door and runs to get out of the gallery, but is stopped just before he gets there. He is a piece of statuary, and returns to his inanimate state before reaching the door.
The credits read:
- Voices by Todd Oleson & Holly Johnson
- Music by Bill Scream
- Created by Will Vinton & Bob Gardiner
External links
- Information for the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
- AFI FEST Festival Database information
- Video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....