34/2003 - HFS

Hrvat. film. ljeto, Zagreb / god 9 (2003), br. 34, str. 221 do 228 Sa`eci / Abstractskao nevjerojatno vje{tih manipulatora masama. Respektiraoje Lenjina i osobito Trockoga iako nikad nije bio komunist.Grierson je cijeloga `ivota bio uvjereni internacionalist, aliuvijek ~vrsto ukorijenjen u dugu civilizacijsku tradiciju britanskogoto~ja i engleskog jezi~nog oceana. Kao govornik ipisac isticao se razornim polemi~nim darom i iznimnim smislomza analiti~no mi{ljenje. Predavao je redovito, pisao lucidnefilmske kritike; bio je apsolutno prvi koji je po{tovaovestern i gangsterske filmove, odmah je zapazio Hitchcockovtalent, nije imao dvojbi oko Fordove veli~ine i Ejzen{tejnovegenijalnosti. Bio je vrhunski intelektualac koji je intelektsmatrao besmislenim ako nije dru{tveno koristan, a nanjegovim teorijskim i prakti~nim aktivnostima zasnovan jetemeljni koncept onoga {to i dan-danas podrazumijevamopod pojmom dokumentarni film, o ~emu je napisano i objavljenobrdo literature. No, na njegovim teorijskim i prakti~nimaktivnostima zasnovan je temeljni koncept onoga {to jepostao autorski animirani film, o ~emu gotovo ni{ta nije napisanoni objavljeno. Stoga autor ove studije poku{ava osvijetlititu dimenziju njegova rada.U svojim kriti~kim esejima Grierson je izra`avao visok respektza humor, karikaturu, no zapravo je vrlo rijetko govorioo animaciji, a svejedno je, premda gorljiv zastupnik realizmana filmu, u svim institucijama kojima je rukovodioosnivao studije za animaciju u kojima je forsirana individualnai eksperimentalna animacija, {to se mo`e protuma~iti ipogodno{}u animacije za reklamne filmove. S Griersonom jeradio i iznimno va`an eksperimentator i animator s NovogZelanda Len Lye, ve} slavni dokumentarist Flaherty, genijalnianimator Norman Mc Laren i brojni drugi. Autor obja{-njava korijene Griersonove koncepcije realizma, na~ine nakoje se uklapao u razne dru{tvene i politi~ke kontekste (VelikaBritanija, multikulturalna Kanada...) te poetiku i stil animiranihfilmova nastalih u Griersonovoj produkciji. Animacijaje ponajvi{e zahvaljuju}i utjecaju NFB-a i op}enito kanadskeprodukcije postala internacionalni medij, od produkcijskerazine pa do ideja i poruka koje se putem tog medijaprete`no emitiraju. Internacionalizam je imanentan animaciji,a predrasude, rasizam, fa{izam, fundamentalizam,netolerancija i druge bolesti i devijacije suvremenoga svijetanisu nikada stanovali u mediju animacije, {to je svakako dobrimdijelom posljedica ~injenice da se animacija u znatnojmjeri razvijala na osnovi Griersonovih ideja i filozofije. Sasvakom njegovom idejom ne moramo se slagati, mnoge su seod njih uostalom pokazale utopisti~kima i naivnim, ali stajali{teda film ima smisla samo ako zastupa odre|eno stajali{tei propituje dru{tvene okolnosti te traga za slikama koje nesamo da odra`avaju stvarnost vremena u kojem je film nastaonego aktivno utje~u na dru{tvene promjene potvrdilo jevrijednost i unutar animacije, osobito u konceptu animiranogadokumentarca kojim je u animaciji primijenjena Griersonovaformula o kreativnom tretmanu stvarnosti. Taj sekoncept pokazao vrlo plodonosnim kako za kanadsku takoi za, na primjer, britansku animaciju ne samo iz tridesetihgodina pro{log stolje}a, kada se razvijala pod Griersonovimneposrednim vodstvom i utjecajem, ve} i u moderno doba.Veliki uspon britanske animacije tijekom 1980-ih u okriljuprodukcije Channel 4 jasno pokazuje da primjena Griersolotcould be learnt from Hitler and Goebels, as incrediblyskilled mass manipulators. He respected Lenin, and particularlyTrocki, though he was never a communist. Griersonwas an internationalist all his life, but always deeply rootedin a gigantic civilization tradition of the British Isles and theocean of the English language. As a narrator and a writer hedistinguished himself by a destructive polemic gift and anextraordinary sense of analytic thinking. He was a lecturer,he wrote lucid film reviews; he was absolutely the first criticwho respected westerns and gangster movies, he immediatelyspotted Hitchcock’s talent, he did not doubt Ford’sgreatness and Eisenstein’s genius. He was a top intellectualwho considered the intellect meaningless if it wasn’t usefulfor the society, and the basic concept of what we regard asdocumentary film is based on his theoretical and practicalactivities. A lot has been written and published on this topic.A basic concept of what has become a creative animated filmis also based on his theoretical and practical activities, butalmost nothing has been written or published on that topic.So, the author of this study attempts to shed some lightupon this dimension of his work.In his critical essays Grierson expressed respect for humor,caricature, but he rarely spoke about animation, and still,though he was an ardent representative of realism in film, hefounded animation studios in all the institutions he workedfor, where individual and experimental animation was promoted.A very important experimenter and animator formNew Zeland, Len Lye, worked for Grierson, also already famousdocumentary film maker Flaherty, a genius animatorNorman McLaren and many others. The author explainsthe roots of Grierson’s concept of realism, the ways he fittedinto different social and political contexts (Great Britain,multicultural Canada...), and poetics and style of animatedfilms produced by Grierson. Animation has become aninternational media, thanks to the influence of NFB and Canadianproduction in general, form the production level toideas and messages that are usually sent forth through themedia. Internationalism is immanent to animation, and prejudice,racism, fascism, fundamentalism, intolerance and otherdiseases and deviations of a modern world have neverbeen at home in the world of animation, which is to a greaterextent a consequence of the fact that animation has developedon the basis of Grierson’s ideas and philosophy. Wedo not have to agree with all his ideas, most of them wereproved to be utopist or naïve, but his opinion that the filmmakes sense only if it represents a certain point of view, questionssocial circumstances and searches for images that notonly reflect the reality of time in which the film has beenmade, but actively affect social changes, has established itssignificance within animation, especially in the concept ofanimated documentary where Grierson’s formula of creativetreatment of reality has been applied. This concept provedto be very productive for Canadian as well as, for example,British animation not only from the 1930ies, when itwas developing under Grierson immediate management andinfluence, but also in modern time. The great growth of Britishanimation in the 1980ies in the production of Channel4 clearly indicates that the application of Grierson’s modelsan concepts is not limited to Canada only (e. g. Erica Rus-227H R V A T S K I F I L M S K I L J E T O P I S 33/2003.