Very Nice, Very Nice (1961)

Through an unconventional use of concise narrative, a conceptual collage of sounds and images, and a rapid-fire montage, Arthur Lipsett's first film vividly portrays the urban estrangement in the times of social erosion and materialism.

Director:

Arthur Lipsett

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Storyline

The current day-to-day life is much different than what it was thirty or forty years ago, but it is the life to which we as people are now accustomed and take for granted. But it also provides us with what we must deal, including joys, happiness, sorry and anxiety. These thoughts are interpreted through a series of snapshots and sounds - some, what we now take for granted as being givens, but some more disturbing - combined in such a way to make one ponder if life is indeed better than it was thirty years ago.

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Plot Keywords:

collage | contradiction | estrangement | eccentric | concept | 

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Genres:

Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1961 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Очень мило, очень мило

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kingsley International,National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

While working at the Canadian National Film Board, Arthur Lipsett collected pieces of sound and put them together. When he played the finished product for some friends they suggested putting images to the sound and he set about doing that. This film is the result.

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Connections

Referenced in NBC Experiment in Television: Youth 68: Everything's Changing... or Maybe It Isn't (1968)

User Reviews

It's hard to imagine this one was nominated for the Oscar.

This film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short. It's a rather strange choice, as the film is much more an odd avant garde sort of thing than a film you'd think would get nominated for such a prestigious award. Perhaps it was just a very, very, very slow year.

The film consists of tons and tons and tons of black & white photos that are flashed on the screen--accompanied by music (often martial music) and dialog from a variety of sources. It all seems amazingly random-- and sometimes the pictures and narration seem to have little to do with each other.

The bottom line is that this film has practically no commercial appeal whatsoever. Folks sitting in coffee houses in the early 1960s might have enjoyed it, but I just cannot see it having appeal to 99.9% of the viewers today. Tedious and difficult to enjoy--even for an art film.