acid jazz archive

Gordon Hurd (ghurd@yahoo-inc.com) Fri, 23 Apr 1999 14:21:21 -0700

This may seem very obscure but I know there are some hardcore cratediggers out there. So, here goes... anyone know of that French animated film called "Fantastic Planet." Made in the early 70s I think. anyway, I'm wondering if anyone knows if there's a soundtrack available for that. I've done a couple of rudimentary searches but haven't come up with anything so far. any help would be rewarded with eternal gratitude. To try and be as on topic as possible, the music is filled with moogy synthy groovy magic. Very atmospheric and 70s from head-to-toe. btw, if you haven't seen the movie and you're into trippy science fiction, check it out. It's got a style all its own. gkh

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Fantastic Planet is da shit! One of my fav animated movies, and actually Czech in origin, not French. Great soundtrack. Wished I owned it, but I've only seen it once and it was out of my price range, on the wall at A-1 records in New York. Also, I think I remember some interview I read with Pete Rock or some other producer mentioning it, sure its been sampled by a few people on the sly. It does exist though, and it's definitely due to get reissued. $˘ stylee@wfmu.org > >This may seem very obscure but I know there are some hardcore cratediggers >out there. So, here goes... > >anyone know of that French animated film called "Fantastic Planet." Made in >the early 70s I think. anyway, I'm wondering if anyone knows if there's a >soundtrack available for that. I've done a couple of rudimentary searches >but haven't come up with anything so far. > >any help would be rewarded with eternal gratitude. To try and be as on topic >as possible, the music is filled with moogy synthy groovy magic. Very >atmospheric and 70s from head-to-toe. > >btw, if you haven't seen the movie and you're into trippy science fiction, >check it out. It's got a style all its own. _______________________________________________________________ Manire, Aaron D (amanire@indiana.edu) Mon, 26 Apr 1999 17:25:05 -0500 Messages

They have the cd listed on http://www.totale.com . Unfortunately, it says that they're out of stock. They also sell the VHS and DVD videos for dirt cheap. A Dario > -----Original Message----- > From: Jim Dier [SMTP:threedueces@hotmail.com] > Sent: Monday, April 26, 1999 4:43 PM > To: ghurd@yahoo-inc.com; acid-jazz@ucsd.edu > Subject: Re: Fantastic Planet soundtrack? > > Fantastic Planet is da shit! One of my fav animated movies, and > actually Czech in origin, not French. Great soundtrack. Wished I > owned it, but I've only seen it once and it was out of my price range, > on the wall at A-1 records in New York. Also, I think I remember some > interview I read with Pete Rock or some other producer mentioning it, > sure its been sampled by a few people on the sly. It does exist > though, and it's definitely due to get reissued. > > $˘ > stylee@wfmu.org > > > > > >This may seem very obscure but I know there are some hardcore > cratediggers > >out there. So, here goes... > > > >anyone know of that French animated film called "Fantastic Planet." > Made in > >the early 70s I think. anyway, I'm wondering if anyone knows if > there's a > >soundtrack available for that. I've done a couple of rudimentary > searches > >but haven't come up with anything so far. > > > >any help would be rewarded with eternal gratitude. To try and be as > on topic > >as possible, the music is filled with moogy synthy groovy magic. Very > >atmospheric and 70s from head-to-toe. > > > >btw, if you haven't seen the movie and you're into trippy science > fiction, > >check it out. It's got a style all its own. > > _______________________________________________________________

Seth D. Carmichael: "RE: Fantastic Planet soundtrack?" epinions Masterpiece of 70's animation by: ajmurray (Sun Aug 6 '00) Pros: Time warp to a simpler, stranger time Cons: Requires an attention span Plot Details: This opinion reveals no details about the movie's plot There is a plot here, but don't let that distract you: the real fun in 'Fantastic Planet' is in the details. The eerie, otherworldly animation is so far removed from the imagination-free zone of modern computer -generated animation that it's astonishing. The producers of this European Sci-Fi wonder had limited resources, low budgets and simple technology to work with. That said, this leaves a greater impact than almost any animated movie I have ever seen. The drawings are unforgettable, the music is vintage progressive jazz-rock, the dubbed voices sensual and robotic at the same time, and the atmosphere hallucinatory - in fact, this movie is a risk-free way to experience psychedelic drugs without risking neural meltdown. I first saw this film as a child in the early 70s, and many of the images have stayed with me since then. A strange, unsettling trip. Opinion Rating: Opinion Highly Recommended by an advisor Add your rating! Fantastic Planet: Subtly intense by: Hava (Sun Aug 6 '00) Pros: Surreal, trippy animation; Beautiful story Cons: Too Short!! I wanted more! (this really is not a shortcoming) Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot I saw this movie once over a year ago--quite accidentally, I was bored and I think I just liked the cover (I love animation)...So I really had no expectations. I must have watched the movie three times that night, I'm not sure which part stayed with me most: the strange "trippy" animation, the memorable characters, the story or the surreal world they were in. I think its important, in order to fully appreciate the movie, to see it in a proper context; this movie was made in an Eastern European country in the 70's. We are so used to Hollywood with its kid friendly predictable stories, heavy moralizing and flashy animation, that one can't really judge this movie on the same criteria. I have read another opinion where someone said that it is charming precisely because it was so "unsophisticated" as an animation. I somewhat agree with that, although I hate the idea that everything is rated against Disney’s high budget animation. The movie creates this surreal, futuristic world occupied by mysterious beings. It is not fully explained how humans have appeared on this planet, although it hinted at a past catastrophe on planet earth. The inhabitants of the planet tower over the humans, the scale is probably that of a human to a rodent; an appropriate scale considering humans are portrayed as both "pets" and "pests", but assumed to be primitive and lacking intelligence. Some are wild and some are domesticated--similar to rodents...either dirty rats living in the sewers or cute pampered hamsters living in fancy cages. The metaphor here is pretty simple, yet quite effective. Through out the film we are forced to identify with both the "human" captives and the "alien" inhabitants of the planet. There are some really memorable scenes both visually and in their psychological impact: The opening scene for example, a "wild" human female running for her life, as she becomes the plaything of several "child" natives. She is killed, but she manages to protect her baby from the fatal fall…this first scene is incredibly moving, even to me, who possesses no maternal instincts. One of the alien children, a sweet "girl", brings the little baby human (who is also the protagonist) home and raises him in a cage as her pet. I think it’s a gem, fun to watch purely for the visuals but also has a great story. Its fantastic, surrealistic, trippy...somewhat apocalyptic (I was thinking of "Planet of the Apes"). Its definitely unusual, and definitely worth seeing. I think the metaphors in this movie can be read on several levels, psychologically, culturally and politically. I was especially moved by the way individual "humans" internalized their position. But they are not over the top. Doesn't insult ones intelligence or try and shove a world-view down ones throat. There is something very 70's about the movie, not just in the animation, but also in the general approach to dominant cultures and colonization. Opinion Rating: Opinion Highly Recommended by an advisor Add your rating! Mescaline not included by: 32_Footsteps (Wed Aug 16 '00) Pros: MST3K practice film, "Dead Times" is interesting Cons: French prove that bad science fiction is not exclusively an American creation Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot Alright, it's time for sci-fi fans to get their heads out of the sand and understand why everyone makes fun of the genre - most of it is horrible and impossible to watch. Yes, I know that you can say that about any genre of entertainment, but with science fiction, it's as if every hackneyed plot contrivance is highlighted. With this in mind, I sat down to watch "Fantastic Planet,"a French animated science fiction piece from the early 1970's. Well, truth be told, I had to watch it for work (while one of my co-workers got to see "Run Lola Run"), so I can't say I had much in mind other than my paycheck. But I did end up enjoying this movie, but less on what I was supposed to enjoy and more by what I wasn't. The story is of an unnamed planet with the dominant species called the Traggs. To pronounce that correctly, imagine some British person, or a pretentious American person trying to emulate the British, is trying to insult you. It might help if you put a curse word in front of it. At any rate, they are absurdly tall, blue with red eyes, and have fins where you'd imagine ears would be. They also inhabit the planet with Oms (pronounced like you are meditating, or saying the French word for man), which are no different cosmetically than you or I. However, these Oms are much like cavemen, and some are even kept as pets. The plot moves forward with Terr, who is raised from birth by a Tragg named Tiva. Please ignore the fact that the subtitles spell this Tiwa. He manages to use a Tragg device to educate himself, and escapes to live as a free person. If you detect any similarity to "Planet of the Apes," you shouldn't be surprised. While not directly the same, it has some of the same overtones - the humans are enslaved as beasts to some other race, until one highly intelligent one appears to shake up the social order. If you can't predict the exact way the story will unfold right now, then you aren't thinking hard enough. Terr meets a girl. They fall in love. The Traggs take steps against the Oms. It plays out as you'd predict. Not only that, but therre isn't any real characterization. I made up stories this deep when I was 5. The art of the film is rather quirky. The people are drawn in a sketch-style, with some extra lines that you'd think would be erased. This gives the people a water-color children's book quality to them, and on the whole, it isn't bad to look at. However, the rest of the imagery is drawn in a fanciful style thatreminds me of a more serious version of Dr. Seuss or Monty Python's animated bits. But because the animation appears so incredulously silly, it doesn't have the effect of a serious film would like to have. Due to the association with Monty Python, you honestly won't be surprised when they Oms find the Planet of 100 ft. Tall Naked Headless People. I bet you're giggling just reading that line. Well, honestly, the best way to watch this movie is to only passingly pay attention to the dialogue (or the subtitles if you don't speak French). Honestly, the plot is so ccookie-cutter that you can predict exactly how it will run without any dialogue whatsoever. With that in mind, just pay attention to the sound effects, which were also chosen with Python sensibility, and start adding in your own dialogue. When a Tragg starts stepping on Oms, find yourself yelling, "Get your damn feet off me, you dirty ape!" Please note that the Oms are killed off by what appear to be Renuzit air fresheners. This movie has so much that you can mock that it will make anyone mocking it look like a king of comedy. Also, the movie is a rather European movie. Namely, you get to see animated naked people of both genders, from all angles. these aren't the idealized human forms of erotic art, and only once do characters ever so much as kiss. It shows the European comfort with nudity, that it can be something apart from sexual. However, with that in mind, more prudish types will want to stay far away from this movie. Could it be that this is only 72 minutes long? Well, if you're looking for serious story and spell-binding art, it's going to feel longer. But if you're in the mood to make fun of something, it gets even better - the most recent release of this film also includes 3 shorts by the same director. The first, "Monkey's Teeth," has only the slightest semblance of plot and art similar to what an average 5 year old can produce. Watch people metamorphose between humans and butcher shop items. Watch a sadistic dentist remove a man's teeth and images of his family. Try to figure out if that creature on the bike is a monkey. Finally, try staying awake through it without saying something rude to the screen. While the second film, "Dead Times," is your typical, yet witty stab at human existence, the third, "The Snails," could well have been made by the Pythons. In it, a farmer learns how to grow extra large lettuce. But snails come along and eat it, and grow to hundreds of feet and start terrorizing cities. I think this one is deliberately funny. I think. Come on, one scene shows dozens of bodies in the trail of an advancing snail. A bunch of people were caught by snails? That's bad news for adherents of Darwin's theories. I just hope the snail out for me is merciful. This cassette isn't serious fare for anyone. It's done in the style of theater of the absurd. However, the story continues with sincere earnestness that you end up laughing at it for being so serious. It ends up being played out as a trainer film for anyone looking to emulate "Mystery Science Theater 3000." It's on this basis alone that I give this a rating above 1, as it is watchable in some form or another. In terms of sci-fi in general, it shows the problem: we have science fiction too earnest for its own good that tries to constantly be a morality play, like this or like "Star Trek." Or we have half-hearted spoofs on the genre that play off of the same tired gags, like "Galaxy Quest." With few exceptions, we can't get genuinely funny sci-fi, unless you're fond of "Red Dwarf." Watch this for a good laugh or for the intriguing art, but save yourself the effort if you want a real good movie.

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