Director: Koji Yamamura
Release date: September 17, 2011
Rating: ★★★
Review:

‘Muybridge’s Strings’ is Koji Yamamura’s ode to the great Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), pioneer of recording of movement and (thus) of cinema.

Yamamura adopts different techniques to tell his tale, using pencils, pens, and paint to a mesmerizing effect. His film style is surreal, non-linear and associative, and very hard to follow indeed. I’ve learned from this film that Muybridge shot his wife’s lover, but there also images of a woman and a child, often with heads as clocks, which are more difficult to decipher. I guess Yamamura wants to say something on the passing of time, but then the connection to Muybridge is loose and vague. Nevertheless, the film is a marvel to look at, and the sound design, too, is superb.

Watch an excerpt from ‘Muybridge’s Strings’ yourself and tell me what you think:

‘Muybridge’s Strings’ is available on the The Animation Show of Shows Box Set 9

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