Artistic integrity. Or something.
Jun. 11th, 2005 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rickvsA couple of weeks ago, I watched the DVD of Ralph Bakshi's _Wizards_, while listening to his commentary track. Several funny anecdotes were told, and lots of good rallying cries about how as an artist, he just wanted to make his films without corporate interference.
However...
Much as I like the idea of cheering someone who's following his vision, I can't get away from the fact that Bakshi's animation usually gives me hives.
If you're not familiar with him, this is the guy who did _Cool World_, _Fritz the Cat_ and the 1978 version of _The Lord of the Rings_. I gather he's always worked on a low budget, which is understandable, but when he compares his animation favorably to Disney's, I gotta wonder what he's smoking.
I live in something of a glass house, here, and am not sure how much I can throw stones. Due to money and/or time constraints, I've sent some crappy projects out into the world myself. Listening to Mr. Bakshi talk about _Wizards_, however, it seems that a lot of what gets up my nose about his work results from conscious decisions on his part. I'm bugged by the random stew of artistic styles and animation techniques, without any apparent attempt to give the piece a uniform "look".
But he had some good things to say in the commentary track. My favorite story was about him bringing Frank Frazetta in as a consultant, and having his stable of young artists go into collective vapor lock for about a year, because none of them wanted to show someone of Frazetta’s caliber any of their works-in-progress. I may keep watching Bakshi's old projects, because I like to see people swing for the fences even if they strike out. I just wish it wasn't so much like listening to William Hung on "American Idol".
However...
Much as I like the idea of cheering someone who's following his vision, I can't get away from the fact that Bakshi's animation usually gives me hives.
If you're not familiar with him, this is the guy who did _Cool World_, _Fritz the Cat_ and the 1978 version of _The Lord of the Rings_. I gather he's always worked on a low budget, which is understandable, but when he compares his animation favorably to Disney's, I gotta wonder what he's smoking.
I live in something of a glass house, here, and am not sure how much I can throw stones. Due to money and/or time constraints, I've sent some crappy projects out into the world myself. Listening to Mr. Bakshi talk about _Wizards_, however, it seems that a lot of what gets up my nose about his work results from conscious decisions on his part. I'm bugged by the random stew of artistic styles and animation techniques, without any apparent attempt to give the piece a uniform "look".
But he had some good things to say in the commentary track. My favorite story was about him bringing Frank Frazetta in as a consultant, and having his stable of young artists go into collective vapor lock for about a year, because none of them wanted to show someone of Frazetta’s caliber any of their works-in-progress. I may keep watching Bakshi's old projects, because I like to see people swing for the fences even if they strike out. I just wish it wasn't so much like listening to William Hung on "American Idol".
