Oddball Films and guest
curator Emily Schleiner present !!Blind Reason!! A Night of Mad and Bad
Scientists! The program is packed
with films about time-travel, hideous experiments, and ultimately, the fine
line between intelligence and folly in the lab. Featuring excerpts from La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962), the renowned precursor to 12
Monkeys; The Invisible Woman (A.
Edward Sutherland, 1940), a time-capsule of a film about a fashion model who
uses a mad scientist’s experiment toward her own ends; and Dr. Cyclops (Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1940) a science fiction &
horror gem wherein Dr. Cyclops shrinks his collaborators at the same rate as
his sanity diminishes. Watch a series of monster movie
trailers, including The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) and The Time Travelers (1964).
Catch a glimpse of outrageous scientists attempting to roust a sloth in
the truly rare Moody Institute of Science 1950’s documentary Slow as a Sloth. Slap your knee while watching Mr. Pasteur and
the Riddle of Life (1972), a
delightfully animated documentary that demonstrates how it is possible to reach
false conclusions in science experiments! Be amazed by the diabolical
laughter and well-lit gadgets! Plus!!! Watch an ambitious
scientist get thwarted while carrying out experiments on the Three Stooges in A
Bird in the Head (Edward Bernds,
1946). Whether you want to see
comically bird-brained shenanigans, or mysterious time-traveling visitors,
there is something here for everyone!
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And remember, don't do anything that affects anything,
unless it turns out you were supposed to,
in which case, for the love of God,
don't not do it!
-- Professor Farnsworth,
Futurama
|
Date: Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 8:00PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 - Limited seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or
415-558-8117
Featuring:
La Jetée (1962, Color - excerpt)
Created by Chris Marker,
this hauntingly beautiful and well-known film is a classic in the realm of
science fiction and experimental film.
Here, see the original story from 12 Monkeys! This is a time travel brain twister. Take in fantastic Post-World War II
imagery through an uncommonly successful still photo technique accompanied with
music, dialogue, and other foley.
Both Apocryphal and yet largely composed of poetic flashbacks, this
time-traveler story is one for the ages. If you see one film out of this collection, this will
be the film to see!
Slow as a Sloth (1950s, Color)
This slick fifties era
documentary-show-host presents different breeds of sloths with the help of his
lab-coated assistant. The duo
explain interesting facts about sloths and attempt to elicit reactions from the
animals by petting their fur the wrong direction. Sloths and silly scientists galore! Another gem from Oddball Fan Favorite Moody Institute of Science.
 |
These old doomsday devices are
dangerously unstable.
I'll rest easier not knowing where
they are.
–
Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
|
Our Wonderful Body: How We Breathe (1968, Color)
In this strangely crafty
show, a doctor uses paint and paintbrush to model a circulatory system. The eccentric doctor has a teenaged kid
standing behind a wall of glass – which he paints upon! The Doctor then wields
his pointer as he explains how everything works while the kid looks
uncomfortable. This show is a prime
example of the unintentionally funny!
Mr. Pasteur and the Riddle
of Life (1972, Color)
This documentary attempts
use humor in the form of an animated puppet-scientist. The puppet plays devil’s advocate to
the narrator, debating the theory of spontaneous generation. Learn how it is possible to reach false
conclusions with an insufficiently thorough application of the scientific
method!! Pasteur’s mold
experiments are re-created!
The Invisible Woman (1940’s, B&W)
Directed by A. Edward
Sutherland, and starring Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore and John Howard, this
film is an early career woman’s story. Sick of luring buyers as a clothing
model, a beautiful blond model with an ulterior motive volunteers as guinea pig
for an invisibility machine. The
condescending scientist who experiments on her at first refuses because she is
a she! But he eventually
concedes. She returns to her place
of employment to frighten her unscrupulous boss!
People Soup (1970s, color)
In this funky time capsule
from the 70s, an ambitious mad-scientist-child (!) works to create an “animal
camp” but takes breaks to argue with his younger brother whom he persuades to
give him money! The two of them
snack on peanut butter and chocolate as they determinedly carry out their
experiments. Watch for green
concoctions! Chickens! And sheepdogs!
 |
“Good news, everyone! I'm sending
you on a highly controversial mission.”
-- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
|
Dr. Cyclops (1940. B&W)
Don’t miss this science
fiction film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Thomas Coley, Victor
Kilian, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, Frank Yaconelli, and Albert Dekker. Mad scientist, Dr. Cyclops, manages to
shrink 5 people who are getting in the way of his experiments! What will they do?! How will they return to their former
size?! And just how far will Dr.
Cyclops’ madness drive him?
Unnatural History (1959, color)
Lo*ny Toons creators made
this funny and strange animated piece!
Professor Beest Lee is gives a lecture entitled “Are Animals Human or
Vice Versa?” He compares various animals to one another and speaks of their
respective levels of intelligence in comparison with human beings. Are dogs really loyal, he
wonders? And, how can it be that
elephants are frightened of small animals? Catch all the ridiculous examples in this show!
A Bird in the Head (1946, B&W)
Don’t miss this Three
Stooges caper! The trio end up in
the clutches of a would-be-mad-scientist who has no idea of the shenanigans in
store for him. Including a mischievous
Gorilla, this crew is more than a match for a mad professor who want to be
famous. Enjoy the insanity in all
quarters!
Curator biography:
Emily Schleiner is a
Brooklyn NY and Davis CA-based new media artist and thinker. She has shown internationally, has been
published in the Trondheim's TEKS's 'Making Reality Real' Journal and has
presented at the 2nd Inter-Disciplinary.net Global Conference in Budapest. She
received her Masters from Performance and Interactive Media Arts department at
Brooklyn College, NY in 2010. More about Emily at: http://cordial-emily.com/http://cordial-emily.com/