It’s truly amazing what Painleve did. I think everything in the set is so mesmerizing.
Can you believe octopi can travel over “dry” land?
There was that great scene with the octopi in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. Fascinating creatures in every regard.
I’d be interested in hearing more about this set.
This set is pure awesome.
That about somes it up! Painleve was one of the pioneers of underwater filming, but what makes him special is the deep passion he had for his sea life, and that he looked at the behaviors of these anmals in ways no one looked at them before, or since for that matter. Yo lo Tengo provides a pretty jazzy score for The Sounds of Silence.
Unfortunately, Criterion missed an opportunity by not including this book, which would have rounded this box set out nicely.
This is easily one of my favorite Criterions. I had never heard of the unsung Painleve until this release and my appreciation and admiration for him has only grown since. Like Dzimas said, he was a pioneer.
As a lover of nature documentaries and classic cinema, I think Painleve is a perfect combination of the two. Highly recommended.
I think the films about the sea horse are the best. I’ve never seen them the way that Painleve has. It almost looks like they aren’t even real, like a creature of fantasy.
fantastic! I bought it on a limb because it was on sale at half price in fry’s. Man was I blown away. The one about diatoms is fantastic. I still haven’t even watched it all after a couple of months. I agree with Tommy about the seahorses, The boxset is rightly named. Science is indeed fiction! Even Painleve’s simple concepts are inovative, the pigeon film was stunning in it’s simplisity. I really love the little animals spelling Fin at the end of some of ‘em. I have nothing but good thigs to say about this set, buy it if you don’t own it.
Do both of the first two discs feature the Yo La Tengo score and interview, or did they isolate of that content on one disc?
One of my favorite sets! I’m a huge fan of “Planet Earth” so this was targeted right at my tastes. I’ve seen many of them several times. I even liked his claymation “Bluebeard” short that is included on there, kind of trippy in a weird way (or maybe older claymation just trips me out to begin with)
Gorgeous collection of bizarre, funny, endearing, and just plain mesmerizing films. One of the absolute most prized dvds in my film library.
Dzimas
Really excited by this new box set! Haven’t had a chance to sit down and view all of it, but will soon.