Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? (2013)

A series of interviews featuring linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky done in hand-drawn animation.

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Michel Gondry

Stars:

Noam Chomsky, Michel Gondry, Richard Feynman

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michel Gondry	...	Himself
Noam Chomsky	...	Himself

Storyline

A series of interviews featuring linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky done in hand-drawn animation.

---

Plot Keywords:

interview | analysis | epistemology | continuity | why | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Animation | Biography

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,800, 22 November 2013

Gross USA:

$132,409

Company Credits

Production Co:

Partizan Films, Partizan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the film is framed in 4:3. However, some sequences extend beyond this.

---

Connections

References The Green Hornet (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Three Pieces For Oboe
Written by Howard Skempton
Performed by HCD Ensemble

User Reviews

Perfect for What It Is

This is a fantastic, intelligent wedding of word and image. It's like a genuine synthesthetic experience, like the animator wanted us to have a cogent, dependable hallucination of Chomsky's brilliant, eloquent statements. From time to time I would sort of "forget" whether I was hearing Chomsky or seeing what he was saying; they sometimes switched places... or (perhaps more accurately) truly merged in my mind, like finally having the image of one of those 3D "art" images pop out at you when your eyes finally settle into the correct parallax and focus mix. I found that when I was relaxed and letting the flow of ideation wash over me, my experience was "of a piece"; almost psychedelically.

What can I say? It's just a lovely way to mainline a genius' thinking; the filmmaker succeeds in his quest to enhance and tease out the intuitive aspects to technical/scientific thinking; and that's downright inspirational!

Check it out.

--------Addendum

Just want to add one more point. As much as I find Chomsky's politics to be vital and morally attuned, it STILL strikes me as a great artistic decision on the part of Gondry to 1) minimize the politics, 2) put them off 'til (largely) the end, and 3) subsume them to the task of conveying warmth (not urgency). You get a measured, requisite dose of Chomsky's politics, *without* the overwhelming sense one often gets with Chomsky that, up against so much troglodytic inertia, the task truly daunts. Bravo.