21-87
Encyclopedia
21-87 is a 1963 Canadian abstract film
created by Arthur Lipsett
that lasts 9 minutes and 33 seconds.
The short film, produced by the National Film Board of Canada
, is a collage of snippets from discarded footage found by Lipsett in the editing room of the National Film Board (where he was employed as an animator
), combined with his own black and white 16mm footage which he shot on the streets of Montreal and New York City, among other locations.
and sound designer/editor Walter Murch
. Lucas's aesthetic and style was strongly influenced by it for the Star Wars
films and a number of other works, including American Graffiti
and his pure cinema
short films "6-18-67", "1:42.08", "Look At Life", his short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB and the feature it inspired, THX 1138
. Lucas never met Arthur Lipsett, who committed suicide in 1986, but tributes to 21-87 appear throughout Star Wars to the extent that the phrase, "The Force", itself is said to have been inspired by the short film. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
, Princess Leia's prison cell on the Death Star
is 21-87.
Abstract film
Abstract film is a subgenre of experimental film. Its history often overlaps with the concerns and history of visual music. Some of the earliest abstract motion pictures known to survive are those produced by a group of German artists working in the early 1920s, a movement referred to as Absolute...
created by Arthur Lipsett
Arthur Lipsett
Arthur Lipsett was a Canadian avant-garde director of short experimental films.In the 1960s he was employed as an animator by the National Film Board of Canada . Lipsett's particular passion was sound. He collected pieces of sound from a variety of sources and fit them together to create an...
that lasts 9 minutes and 33 seconds.
The short film, produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, is a collage of snippets from discarded footage found by Lipsett in the editing room of the National Film Board (where he was employed as an animator
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
), combined with his own black and white 16mm footage which he shot on the streets of Montreal and New York City, among other locations.
Influence
21-87 has had a profound influence on director George LucasGeorge Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and sound designer/editor Walter Murch
Walter Murch
Walter Scott Murch is an American film editor and sound designer.-Early life:Murch was born in New York City, New York, the son of Katharine and Canadian-born Walter Tandy Murch , a painter. He went to The Collegiate School, a private preparatory school in Manhattan, from 1949 to 1961...
. Lucas's aesthetic and style was strongly influenced by it for the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films and a number of other works, including American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
and his pure cinema
Pure cinema
Pure Cinema is the film theory and practice whereby movie makers create a more emotionally intense experience using autonomous film techniques, as opposed to using stories, characters, or actors....
short films "6-18-67", "1:42.08", "Look At Life", his short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB and the feature it inspired, THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
. Lucas never met Arthur Lipsett, who committed suicide in 1986, but tributes to 21-87 appear throughout Star Wars to the extent that the phrase, "The Force", itself is said to have been inspired by the short film. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, Princess Leia's prison cell on the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
is 21-87.