Necrology (1971) User Reviews

Wildly creative

[planktonrules · 3 May 2012]

This short film by Standish Lawder can be found on "American Film Treasures/Avant Garde Film: Disc 1"--a compilation of mostly forgotten art films of the 20th century. This DVD set is NOT for the casual viewer and sometimes I wonder why I watched the films--as some of them were VERY artsy and weird!

This is a very visually striking film and when it plays, you have no idea how Lawder made the film. It's accompanied by a very somber piece by Sebilius and conjures up thoughts that these folks might be dead and are rising to Heaven. I loved reading about how he made it (in the notes on the DVD) and shows amazing creativity and is one of the most watchable films on the DVD. Sure, it's NOT a typical film enjoyed by the masses, but I can appreciate what Lawder achieved--even if the film does seem to be overlong. Difficult to score but I'd say this one is worth your time. And, be sure to read through all the credits as everyone in the film is credited...and Lawder's descriptions are quite funny.

Rising to the occasion

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 August 2015]

This is a 1971 movie by Standish Lawder. The director died last year and he left us a total of 6 short film all made between 1969 and 1972 when he was in his 30s. "Necrology" is a 12-minute short film, black-and-white and actually only runs for 8.5 minutes as the rest is the very long list of cast members shown to us during the closing credits. Basically, the entire film we see people rising up, like in an elevator with the ones on top disappearing and new ones coming up at the bottom of the screen. My interpretation, especially with the title, is that they just died and are now going up to the heavens. The only reason why I think this may not be true is that there is no real majority of old people depicted here. it's men and women of all ages with all social backgrounds and all ethnicities. This film is not too interesting and basically the same the entire time, but maybe worth a watch for the mysterious background and circumstances under which these people move upwards.

What you see is not what you get

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 30 October 2017]

Because of the somber tone and the filming done in black and white, it's easy to get the impression that the people seen in this short film are souls on their way to heaven. Until you get to the 'twist', it almost appears that these folks are floating upwards. The title of the short also attempts to create that impression, as the term 'necrology' means a 'list of the dead'. Adding further to the illusion is the fact that most of the people shown have expressionless faces and seem almost sad to learn of their eventual fate.

The kicker of course is we eventually get to see what's going on here, and it's nothing more than early morning commuters riding on an 'up' escalator! The somber faces show no emotion for the most part because they're all strangers and everyone is presumably thinking about the upcoming work day. There is the rare smiling face every now and then, but it's usually because two people who know each other share a thought or two as you see them pass by.

But the absolute best part of this effort comes with the 'end credits'. I have no idea if director Standish Lawder had the time or ability to get everyone's name who appeared in the credits list (which didn't appear to me to have included as many names as seen on the escalator), but the effort wound up a real hoot. You had characters listed as 'Stock Broker Just Out of Harvard' and 'Man Returning From Dentist'. How would he know? One name in the cast list stunned me because it was the name of a woman I know, who could have possibly been in New York City at the time as a 'Fat Teen With Pocketbook', but a quick rewind proved it wasn't the person I was thinking of. The only character that would have been named correctly of course was the guy who put this together. Right in the middle you'll find the name of 'Standish Lawder - Filmmaker'.