Satiemania

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Satiemania
Cover
Directed byZdenko Gašparović
Music byErik Satie
Production
company
Release date
  • June 23, 1978 (June 23, 1978)
Running time
14 minutes
CountrySFR Yugoslavia
Languagenone

Satiemania is a 1978 short animated film by Zdenko Gašparović from Zagreb Film animation studio. The short was created to visualize the music of Erik Satie.[1]

Development and themes[edit]

Gašparović drew much of the movie on his kitchen table in ink, pastels and pencil. From a visual perspective, it is described as a impressionistic "metaphor for people drifting mindlessly down the stream of life", but Gašparović states that it was partially based on the stories he had heard as a young boy. It is a series of small animated segments set to six music pieces by Erik Satie (as performed by Aldo Ciccolini[2]).[3] One example of a whimsical approach to the creation of the short includes an issue of Christian Herald he bought at a junk store, which he subsequently included in the film as a waving flag. Other visual gags include a piano biting off the upper half of the pianist during mid-note.[4]

Reception and legacy[edit]

The short premiered on 23 June 1978 as part of the 3rd Animafest Zagreb, where it was awarded Grand-prix by June Foray in Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. It went on becoming a hit on other world animation festivals.[5][6] It was eventually shortlisted for an Academy Award.[7] Due to its popularity and success, it was subsequently included in courses on animation in colleges and universities.[1] Peter Cowie described it as a "witty and irreverent portrait of the human species".[8]

The short influenced a number of other artists such as Michaela Pavlátová.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Satiemania četrdeset godina poslije, Vijenac
  2. ^ Bibidi bobidi bu: la musica nei cartoni animati da Betty, Boop a Peter Gabriel, By Guido Michelone, Giuseppe Valenzise, pp. 288
  3. ^ a b A Companion to Illustration: Art and Theory, edited by Alan Male, pp.116
  4. ^ Interviews Too Shocking to Print!, Justin Humphreys
  5. ^ Animation: A World History: Volume II: The Birth of a Style - The Three Markets, By Giannalberto Bendazzi
  6. ^ "Satiemania - Movies".
  7. ^ "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1978 -". cartoonresearch.com.
  8. ^ International Film Guide 1981, pp. 377

External links[edit]