This film is part of Free
Ubu
Farting and swearing and violence – oh my! Albert Jarry’s controversial play translates beautifully to splattered inks in Geoff Dunbar’s award-winning animation.
Overview
The rise and fall of Pa and Ma Ubu has been shocking audiences since Albert Jarry’s play had its Paris debut in 1896. There's an absurdist, cartoonish spirit inherent in the text, and along with Jarry’s own woodcut illustrations of the characters it was ripe source material for animation. Geoff Dunbar was not the first to attempt an adaptation, but along with his talented crew (most notably Annabel Jankel’s extraordinary inking) he certainly produced one of the finest.
Dunbar had started his career at the established British animation houses of the Larkins Studio and Halas & Batchelor, but his talents helped him set up Grand Slamm to make television commercials and his own independent shorts. Along with Lautrec (1974), in which Dunbar brought Henri-Toulouse’s sketchbooks to life (also on BFI Player), Ubu caught the attention of animation fan Paul McCartney. Rupert and the Frog Song (1984) was the first in a series of collaborations between animator and musician that has continued up to 2021 and the music video for the song When Winter Comes.
Related
A Colour Box A Colour Box
Advert 1935 4 mins
Part experimental cinema, part advert for the parcel post service, always joyful.
Spherical Harmonics Spherical Harmonics
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2014 5 mins
Spherical Harmonics is about the strange power of the CG image. It's a fantasy under construction, full of digitally created memories, counterfeit physics and controlled accidents.
Noddy Goes to Toyland Noddy Goes to Toyland
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1963 12 mins
How can you not say yes to Noddy? It’s all he can say to you.
Shadows! Shadows!
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1928 3 mins Silent
Meet Sammy, his dog Sausage and their creator, early British animator Joe Noble, whose inventive streak sees him chased by his own shadow
Johnny Barleycorn Johnny Barleycorn
Documentary 1950 1 mins
A delightful animated appeal to help bringing in Scotland’s harvest, made by the legendary Lotte Reiniger.
Experimental Animation 1933 Experimental Animation 1933
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1933 2 mins
Long before MTV, Len Lye crafted this antecedent of the music video with a cheeky monkey singing and dancing to Cuban hit 'Peanut Vendor'
Afrika Bambaataa on Afrofuturism (Q&A) Afrika Bambaataa on Afrofuturism (Q&A)
Inside Film 2014 45 mins
Afrika Bambaataa and DJ, musician and filmmaker Don Letts discuss the development of Afrofuturism and its key artists.
Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.
Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.
Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.
Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland Screenwriters' Lecture with Brian Helgeland
Inside Film 2012 27 mins
L.A. Confidential's screenwriter explains why he thinks writer's block is a myth, and reveals Clint Eastwood's unique powers of persuasion.
Olivier Assayas (Masterclass) Olivier Assayas (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2010 41 mins
Irma Vep writer/director Assayas moved from film journalism to filmmaking – a fascinating journey told with disarming honesty to Jonathan Romney.