| Rythmetic | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman McLaren Evelyn Lambart |
| Produced by | Norman McLaren |
| Cinematography | Norman McLaren Evelyn Lambart |
| Distributed by | NFBC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English, French |
Rythmetic is a 1956 Canadian short animated film directed by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart for the National Film Board of Canada. [1]
It is a non-verbal lecture on the subject of mathematics and one of McLaren's longest animated works.
McLaren wanted to make a truly international film about the inadequacies of communication between peoples of different cultures and languages. To this end, he used the most understood method of communication, Arabic numerals. [2]
Filmed without a camera or microphone and using McLaren's scratch sound system, the film is a 'crazy dance' of mechanical actions and anthropomorphic gestures made by arithmetical figures and symbols; we hear rhythmic music with clicks or scratching sounds made by ink directly painted on the soundtrack. The filling of the background with bright figures against a dark background evoke a classroom blackboard and the teaching process. Classified as an educational film, it is also regarded as a visual and auditory work of art. [3]
Rythmetic in the NFB collection catalog