I was pleased as punch to find a DVD of Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry episodes in the DVD bin at Walmart a few weeks ago. Go here for a mostly running commentary.
I was a big Tom and Jerry fan when I was younger, mainly because they had a half-hour show on TV after I got out of school. I didn't know who Deitch was at the time, but his episodes stood out (and not in the bad 1970s episodes way with that stupid, stupid recycled music in EVERY episode). (Yes, I am a cartoon snob.)
What stood out where Deitch's calling cards: Very little dialogue, odd noises, weird situations. I didn't know the word surrealist at the time, and it's a word apparently he didn't like applied to his work, but I think it fits.
I remembered most of the episodes, there were only a few I didn't recognize.
He lived in Czechoslovakia at the time, spied on by the Russians, but given money by Warner Brothers to make cartoons. They picked up a lot of Eastern European animation sensibilities, which made them stand out.
They're still a joy to watch, more than 50 years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment