The Wizard of Speed and Time
| The Wizard of Speed and Time | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Mike Jittlov |
| Produced by | Richard Kaye |
| Written by | Mike Jittlov |
| Starring | Mike Jittlov Paige Moore Richard Kaye Deven Chierighino Steve Brodie John Massari Gary Schwartz Frank LaLoggia Philip Michael Thomas Paulette Breen Will Ryan Stephen Stucker |
| Music by | John Massari |
| Cinematography | Russell Carpenter |
| Editing by | Mike Jittlov |
| Distributed by | Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | September 1989 (USA) |
| Running time | 95 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,535,000 (estimated) |
| Gross revenue | Unknown |
| IMDb profile | |
The Wizard of Speed and Time is a 1989 low-budget feature film written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov, as well as a 1979 16 mm short film, also by Jittlov.
Short film
In the original short film, a young man in a green wizard costume runs throughout America at super speed, much like the superhero The Flash. Along the way, he gives a pretty girl a swift lift to another city, gives golden stars to other women who want a trip themselves and then slips on a banana-peel, and comically crashes into a film stage, which he then brings to life in magical ways.
Jittlov is a special effects technician, and produced all of the special effects in the film himself, many produced through stop motion animation.
Feature film
Years later, Jittlov was able to incorporate the short, as well as portions of some of his other short films (such as Time Tripper and Animato), into a feature-length 35 mm film. The feature version recounts the exploits of a special effects "wizard" (played by Jittlov) trying to fulfill his dream of making a full-length movie. The tricks of movie magic are exposed; but so are the tribulations of the independent moviemaker working around the heavily-unionized Hollywood film industry.
Straeker: There are your film cans, but you can't move them.
Jittlov: Why? Are they stuck to the floor?
Straeker: No, to the system!
Many scenes in the movie turned out to be only too prophetic, according to Jittlov. In the film, two producers bet over whether Jittlov can actually complete a major effects assignment, and one does everything in his power to thwart Jittlov. In real life, the producer/actor who played the Evil Producer turned out to be a real-life Evil Producer, selling the film to distributors without Jittlov's knowledge or compensation.
The feature film is also filled with subliminal messages, many hidden in single frames during the "Wizard Run" sequence (which was remade and expanded from the original short film), or hidden in electrical sparks generated by various happenings in the film.
The feature film was released to theaters in 1989 (though it was never widely distributed), and
was later released on VHS and
Trivia
- The two "real" police characters played by Philip Michael Thomas and Lynda Aldon are named Mickey (Polanko) and Minnie (Smith), respectively, in the film and the police dog's name is Pluto.
- Two characters are given names related to cigarettes: Lucky Straeker, who plays Bookman's director and Dora Belair, who plays an assistant to a competing show's producer.
- Jittlov's mother and brother appear as themselves
- A special birthday song, "Merry Birthday To You" .[1], was composed to avoid potential licensing issues for the traditional "Happy Birthday to You".
- Some parts of "The Wizard's Run" have been changed, mostly reflecting Paige Moore's starring role.
- In the stunt driving car-chase scene, the "police dog" in the back seat was replaced by Jittlov, coat over his head.
- As shown in the film, Jittlov does not shake hands.
- Actor Philip Michael Thomas was asked by television producers if he had ever played a police officer, and he replied "Yes, I was a cop in a feature film." . . .this led to his being cast in "Miami Vice".
- Cameos in the film include science fiction and film industry personalities (Forrest J. Ackerman, Angelique Pettyjohn, Ward Kimball, Will Ryan), as well as actual "Big Name" stars (composer John Massari, a pre-"Miami Vice" Philip Michael Thomas). The only "lookalike" used in the film was a Woody Allen impersonator who appears in two scenes when Mike is being chased by the Keystone Cops through the studio lot.
- Several subliminals are embedded in the short films
- The poster for the film was done by artist Kelly Freas, who put a number of subliminal messages in the painting, and Freas also printed the faux film titles seen on the producers' bulletin board.
- The fans in the climactic theater scene provided their own costumes.
- The opening credits read "Directed By The Man In The Green Jacket". Mike Jittlov wears a green jacket throughout the film.
- The scenes where Mike speaks to the Union representatives were all shot at the same desk in the same room, with veteran voice-over artist Will Ryan playing all the representatives. The film union seal shows a vulture with a twisted strip of film in its talons.
- Cinematographer Russell Carpenter would go on to work on such films as The
Lawnmower Man, The Indian in the Cupboard,
Titanic, Charlie's
Angels (and the sequel
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle ), Shallow Hal and Monster-in-Law.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
