Short Shorts

 

 (world atlas)

POSSIBLY IN MICHIGAN-1983-This is a strange surreal plot-less musical short with two women being stalked by a weird guy named Arthur. After some incomprehensible scenes they turn the tables on him (???). Weird shit made with funds from The National Endowment for The Arts and The Ohio Arts Council.

MAMMALS-1962-This weird short about two guys in the snowy frozen wilderness has been described as "Waiting for Godot" on ice. Roman Polanski co-wrote and directed it before his first feature film, KNIFE IN THE WATER. Yuk it up. It's Roman Polanski. He's a genius...

 (grepmed.com)

MUCHAUSEN-2013-Very well made short without any dialogue, about mother's (Bonnie Bedelia) obsessive behavior toward her son who is ready to leave home for college. Written and directed by Ali Aster. 

 (getty images)

GRANDMOTHER'S BEDTIME STORY-1979-A tired grandmother fed up with her bratty grandson who won't go to bed, reads him a story about a little princess who won't go to bed and is terrorized by a witch, a goblin, a hunchback and finally a dragon. Weird little gore short by Michael Hitchcock.

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Mammal by They Might Be Giants:

https://youtu.be/14jjo7MtSzE?feature=shared

Serial Killer Short

I WAS A TEENAGE SERIAL KILLER-1993-Crappy, pseudo-arty black and white nonsense features lots of close-ups and dialogue that's not synced to the person talking. Mary (Kristin Calabrese in her only acting role) is a slut who has sex with men and then kills them. After killing one guy, she sticks a banana in his mouth. She meets a male psycho Henry (Corey) who kills “straight white males”. They seem to fall in love and kill people. Later she kills him. I think it might have been some kind of black comedy but I don't think the director, producer, etc. knew exactly what they wanted from this 20 minute waste of time. Director/writer Sarah Jacobson later made MARY JANE'S NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE.

Bunuel

SIMON OF THE DESERT-1965- Penitent Simon (Claudio Brook) has stood on a high column in the desert for over six years so he can be closer to God. Priests and followers now gather as he is given a new taller tower. After refusing a blessing from a priest because he believes himself unworthy he ascends the new tower and promptly restores the hands of a man who had them cut off for stealing. The man's first act is to abuse his child. The crowd seems unimpressed by this and leaves. Later Simon is tempted several times by the devil who takes the form of a woman (Silvia Pinal) dressed like a little girl, then as a shepherdess (with a beard!) and later as a scantily clad female who arrives in a moving coffin. Satan takes him away and they wind up in a modern '60's disco where the band plays surf guitar music and young people do the newest dance crazed called “Radioactive Flesh”! When Simon says he wants to go home he's told he has to “stick it out till the end”. 

 Although only 43 minutes long SIMON somehow manages to be surrealist director Luis Bunuel's most anarchistic outing and continues his long obsession with the mocking of organized religion. It's also hilarious! The short running time owes to the fact that Bunuel simply ran out of money after less than three weeks worth of filming. He followed this two years later with BELLE de JOUR. 

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Reefer Saddness

A MOVABLE SCENE-1970-This very weird short examines the hippie culture and its use of drugs. It deals with rebellion, non-conforming and understanding and calls marijuana "the common denominator". The narration tries to show the viewpoint of both sides but the whole thing is kind of undone as the narrator is infamous Hollywood pot head actor Robert Mitchum (who was jailed for marijuana possession in 1949).

This was made by Scottish born director William Templeton who wrote TV episodes in America and for the BBC in England. In 1972 he made a much more serious drug expose' FLOWERS OF DARKNESS narrated by Paul Newman. Mitchum was in RYAN'S DAUGHTER the same year as this.

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Hash

SINISTER HARVEST-1930-This is an early exploitation short added as a bonus feature on the Alpha Video DVD of MONDO BALORDO. It's suppose to be an examination of drug smuggling in Egypt. It shows how healthy strong Egyptians males become hashish junkies. They are shown in opium dens, smoking then getting caught. Some victims go through cold turkey while others are beggars and outcasts. Some are sent to “the pit”. The narrator's ever bombastic voice mentions that all this could happen in America with the repeal of the 18^th amendment (prohibition)! And just three years later it would be repealed! This version is called SINISTER MENACE (a re-release from 1934) and is presented by Dwain Esper. (MANIAC, MARIHUANA). It's very bleak...

 

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How Did I Stay Awake?

WHEN I'M OLD ENOUGH...GOODBYE!-1962-I saw this state sponsored short on TCM at 5 AM. It tells the story of a young man (Barry Primus in his film debut) who drops out of high school so he can get a job and "be free" like his old man. Things don't work out exactly as he plans when he is suddenly laid off.

This forgotten low budget quickie is actually quite prophetic in it's message to future generations but it figures because the producer Louis De Rochemont was also behind the well known "March of Time" newsreels of the '30's that warned of the rise of Hitler! Director Karl Genus did mostly TV.

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Merry Christmas again!

A VISIT TO SANTA-(1963)-This is bizarre! A brother and sister write Santa a letter and he decides to let them come and visit. He has an elf (a little kid) pick them up in his magic helicopter (we never see it!). Santa sits in a recliner chair in what looks like an ordinary living room (probably the producer’s). The rest of the film is a scenes of some Christmas parades and a Christmas village (filmed in Pittsburgh I’ve read) with some weird narration. After showing the kids dolls and trains and other toys at the end Mr. Claus reminds them the true meaning of Christmas is to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ "hundreds of years ago”. Amazing!