The Real Place

I stumbled on this tiny short when it appeared on Sundance Channel between features, so my knowledge of John Murrell is limited. I was immediately captivated, however, by the narrative and imagery which combined in such a unique way to depict a road less taken by an incredibly creative individual. In these few brief minutes we see and hear in his own words, a man who gave his creative genius full reign and lived the life he was meant to live--full of inner stories brought to life through music, song and performance. Bravo to Mr. Murrell and the National Film Board of Canada for producing this unique bit of magic for the world to glimpse.

This is a tribute to Alberta playwright John Murrell, who was originally from Texas but fled the country during the Viet Nam draft days. He wound up being very successful up north writing and having a love affair with a solitary existence and the joys of music as well as the written word.

He pays tribute here to other playwrights and poets, his favorite apparently being Emily Dickinson, and we get to hear some of his favorite musical pieces, such as Puccini's aria from Tosca.

Visually, I liked the '60s kind of look to this animated short. The psychedelic-type presentation might be a cliché for some folks, but not for me. The only thing this animated short did not do, at least for me, was tell me much about this man or make me feel anything for him (John Murrell). It's just void of that, which is a little strange since I believe it's supposed to be some kind of tribute to him.

However, a lot of people, like me, who bought the Blu-Ray DVD "Animation Express," are more interested in how it looks and on that, I'd say this short was winner. If I want information on Mr. Murell, I can look it up on the Internet (which I did). Otherwise, I thought the visuals made this five-minute animation fun to watch.