| Arthur Lipsett | |
|---|---|
 Arthur Lipsett in the 1960s |
|
| Born | December 18, 1936 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | May 1, 1986 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1958 – 1970; 1978 |
Arthur Lipsett (May 13, 1936 – May 1, 1986) was a Canadian avant-garde director of short experimental films.
In the 1960s he was employed as an animator by the National Film Board of Canada. Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an interesting auditory sensation. After playing one of these creations to friends, they suggested that Lipsett combine images with the sound collage. The result is a 7 minute long film Very Nice, Very Nice which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects in 1962. Despite not winning the Oscar, this film brought Lipsett considerable praise from critics and directors. Stanley Kubrick was one of Lipsett's fans, and asked him to create a trailer for his upcoming movie Dr. Strangelove. Lipsett declined Kubrick's offer. Kubrick went on to direct the trailer himself; however, Lipsett's influence on Kubrick is clearly visible in the released trailer.
Lipsett's meticulous editing and combination of audio and visual montage was both groundbreaking and influential. His film 21-87 was a profound influence on director George Lucas who included elements from 21-87 in THX 1138, his Star Wars films and also American Graffiti. The film 21-87 has been credited by Lucas as the source of the "The Force" in Star Wars.[1] Lucas never met the filmmaker but tributes to 21-87 appear throughout Star Wars. For example, the holding cell of Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope on the Death Star is cell No. 2187.[2]
Lipsett's success allowed him some freedom at the NFB, but as his films became more bizarre, this freedom quickly disappeared. In his later years, he suffered from psychological problems that progressed in severity. Lipsett committed suicide in 1986,[2] two weeks before his 50th birthday.
In 2006, a feature-length documentary about Lipsett, Remembering Arthur, was produced by Public Pictures.
References
- ^ Wired 13.05: Life After Darth
- ^ a b Brown, Dan (September 8, 2004). "Star Wars: the Canadian angle". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/features/starwars/. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
External links
- Arthur Lipsett at the Internet Movie Database
- Arthur Lipsett:Overview of Work National Film Board (Canada)
- Films by Arthur Lipsett at the NFB website
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- A Clown Outside the Circus
- Remembering Arthur
- Lipsett diaries animation film
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