The Man With The Beautiful Eyes. Sherbert Films Ltd. 320x240 | 160x120

The Man with the Beautiful Eyes
Another take on childhood can be found in The Man with the Beautiful Eyes, a 5.5 minute paint on paper and cel animation directed by Jonathan Hodgson. It, too, has a message that is somewhat enigmatic, though in a manner completely different from Your Choice! This film, which is based on a poem by Charles Bukowski, tells the story of a group of boys who are fascinated with a mysterious house. Their parents have warned them to stay away from it, which, of course, makes it all the more tempting. One day they encounter the man who lives there; he curses while leaving the house, then addresses the boys cordially before returning inside, never to be seen again. He has long, unkept hair, a bottle of whiskey in his hand and a cigar in his mouth, and the boys see him as a strong, natural man who provides an attractive alternative to the conventional lives of their mothers and fathers. When the man's home burns down, the children suspect it was their parents who did it, because (in the children's logic) their parents hate what this man represents and want to shield their children from it at all costs.

Of course, all this is seen from the youths' perspectives, as they try to figure out who this man is and what he represents. For the viewer, a dual interpretation emerges. We understand that this man is likely of dubious nature (a missing child poster seen on a wall reinforces this idea), yet something tells us that, indeed, society would likely want to crush this kind of free spirit, a crack in the system of 'normalcy.' In that respect, we are left questioning who the man is, why his home burned down, and what to make of the film's theme, in effect placing ourselves within the boys' own points of view.

The film's story is told through English voice-over narration, but the action is illustrated through a combination of text and images that capture the essence of the story. The director describes his work as an attempt to create 'visual poetry' that does not always illustrate the story in a literal way. He and the film's designer, Jonny Hanah, decided to collaborate on the film due to their shared admiration for Bukowski's writing. I think the result is an interesting example of the use of text in a film, as well as creative 'camera movement' as a way to energize the visuals. Hodgson studied at the Royal College of Art and worked as a commercial animation director for several years before setting up his studio, Sherbert, in London with Jonathan Bairstow in 1996. They produce commercials and television graphics as well as short films.