Len Lye--is that his real name?

I really liked Trade Tattoo. I liked it more because it wasn't Industrial Britain, and even more because it took some of that footage, saved and reinvented it. It was clear that Lye was really inspired by French and German filmmakers, most notably Hans Richter (specifically in ideology, with the whole idea of breaking down motion in order to create something real). I've re-watched Trade Tattoo twice since last Thursday, once with sound and once without, because I was intrigued by what Lye says in the interview we read about how as a silent film, it would look "terrible." I expected that he was just being his own worst critic, but he was definitely speaking the truth. I wouldn't say terrible, not by any means, but the film just doesn't click without sound--it's not nearly as interesting or captivating. It was much easier to lose focus in what I was watching.

I was interested in this idea of the necessity of sound because this is one of the first films we've watched where the sound is married to the image. Unlike the music that originally would have accompanied Dr. Caligari, this music (and only this music) was made specifically for this film. It seems like the sound is as critical to Lye as a filmmaker as the image is. In his interview, he talks about at times designing images that "look to [him] like sound sounded." He also talks about sound sometimes simply adding texture to image, but it is clear that these two concepts are extremely intertwined. This is definitely something new for us.

Also, I agree with the post below me. Why don't they make commercials like this anymore??