A video essay exploring the role of mouths and food in the short films of Jan Švankmajer.
I have been a fan of Švankmajer's for some years, but after reading a fantastic profile by New Yorker writer Anthony Lane, I ventured back into Švankmajer's world. Lane comments that Švankmajer was considered undernourished as a child and was sent to a special school where he was force-fed. Looking at Švankmajer's work again, I focused on how he chooses to film and animate mouths both human and animal.
As a homage to Švankmajer, I decided to use this opportunity to try stop-motion animation for the first time.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with Švankmajer's work, just consider this statement from Anthony Lane:
"The moviegoing world is divided into two unequal camps: those who have never heard of Jan Švankmajer and those who happen upon his work and know that they have come face to face with genius."
Thanks to Phil Ellis for helping with the music choices.
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