Commentary &Fleischer 03 Feb 2006 06:51 am
Grizzly men
– If there was one injustice in this year’s Oscar nominations, it was the absence of Werner Herzog‘s film, Grizzly Man in the Documentary Feature category. Herzog has been, for me, the finest documaentary film maker in the past thirty years. This was not only the best documentary last year, it was one of the best films.
Herzog has completely changed and challenged the form, and the Academy continues to ignore him. Despite the success of this latest film, it somehow didn’t even make the shortlist for Oscar’s documentary contenders, but the cartoonish, March of the Penguins, will probably win! It’s confusing when art is ignored.
Grizzly Man is about a confused man who lives with bears. He photographed most of this documentary himself, before being killed, and Herzog assembles it. This continues Herzog‘s fascination with people on the fringe who are dedicated to their visions.
The film premieres tonight on the Discovery Channel at 8pm. Set your vcr’s.
After you watch that, go out and rent LA SOUFRIÈRE. It’s a longish short film, and will change what you think about documentaries.
– Here’s another posting from the Fleischer Animated News, - the in-house organ of the Fleischer studio. (Sorry, but this paper is entertaining me just now!) It’s from 1939.*
This is a notice that Max Fleischer is teaching classes in the studio. (I like that it indicates that there is no charge.)
It’s accompanied, here, by a Hal Seeger cartoon about the classes. The same cartoon comments on a parking ticket Dave must’ve received. Presumably, Hal Seeger was close enough with the brothers that he felt it was ok to jibe them.
click on these images to enlarge them.
*Corrected by Jerry Beck (see comments) as Oct 1935.
on 03 Feb 2006 at 9:54 am 1.Henry said …
I’m really happy to see these old Fleischer newsletters, tantalizingly excerpted in Leslie Cabarga’s FLEISCHER BOOK.
There’s a whole world of “house organs” that bring a special insight into the inner workings of an organization!
on 03 Feb 2006 at 10:21 am 2.Jerry Beck said …
Love the reprints from FLEISCHER ANIMATED NEWS. I happen to have a bunch of these and must point out that the issue you are reprinting is from October 1935. In 1939 the studio was in Miami and the management was a bit less “chummy” with the employees.
on 03 Feb 2006 at 3:40 pm 3.Jenny Lerew said …
You’re so right–”Grizzly Man” was not only the best documentary of the year, it was one of the best films of any kind that I saw. 4 of us went and afterwards we sat at dinner, almost stunned into silence, the thing was that powerful. Herzong is something else again.
The documentary branch of the academy is famous for its quixotic choices–or non-choices(as I’m sure you know), but THIS misstep really baffles and bugs me. Apparently it didn’t “receive enough votes” from the branch board(what is it? 9 people?)to rate a nomination! Feh!