This is one of those reviews which will actually take longer to write than watching the film itself, which ran all of three minutes. The only other reviewer on this board when I came here commented on creator Harry Smith's artistic process, and even though Smith stated he used a batik process to make it, there seems to be some question about how it really all came together. Additional written commentary accompanying the short describes it, but isn't mentioned in the film itself, which is accompanied by a Dizzy Gillespie sequence titled 'Guarachi Guaro'; Harry Smith was quite big into the jazz scene.
I don't want to be harsh on the film, but it's really not much more than a series of colorful block patterns moving across the screen. Smith liked to bring folk traditions to abstract animation and one might compare this to a 1940's version of psychedelia. Come to think of it, watching it with a buzz on might heighten one's appreciation of the effort. As interesting as it is to watch, I couldn't help thinking the exercise was kind of pointless, but on the flip side, it's a lot more creative than something I would be able to put together, and for an investment of three minutes, it's not the worst thing you could do to watch the film.
I don't want to be harsh on the film, but it's really not much more than a series of colorful block patterns moving across the screen. Smith liked to bring folk traditions to abstract animation and one might compare this to a 1940's version of psychedelia. Come to think of it, watching it with a buzz on might heighten one's appreciation of the effort. As interesting as it is to watch, I couldn't help thinking the exercise was kind of pointless, but on the flip side, it's a lot more creative than something I would be able to put together, and for an investment of three minutes, it's not the worst thing you could do to watch the film.