1941 (1941)
Article 5948 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-10-2021
Directed by Francis Lee
No cast
Country: USA
What it is: Historical abstraction

An egg and light bulbs are destroyed in a wash of colors and to the music of Igor Stravinsky.

Here’s another short that is listed in the Walt Lee guide by dint of its being decidedly unrealistic. It was meant as a reaction to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which is the only thing it has in common with the Spielberg movie of the same name. Unlike many abstract shorts, it’s not animated; it is filmed footage which mostly consists of various colors of liquid running through each other with the destruction of the egg and the light bulbs as added touches. In its own abstract way, it is rather effective, with the scenes capturing a bit of the feeling of having been dirtily violated. It’s only four minutes long and the Walt Lee guide lists it as an amateur film, but it’s rather interesting.