Hunger

Peter Foldes' trailblazing computer-assisted animation shows the incredible potential of this genre. The imagery is strange, lurid, almost psychedelic as one scene morphs into another. A repetitive machinelike musical soundtrack backs the unfolding principal narrative.

Our own civilization's rampant consumerism is symbolized by a single man, whose appetite, desires, and lack of control precludes any happy or reasonable balance. In the end he is forced to confront hunger born out of of impoverishment, rather than the result of affluence and greed. The conclusion is ambiguous: is it our future or our present that we are seeing?

I saw this film late one night on CBC in 1974 and it truly freaked me out. Eight years later I was able to get a 35mm film print of it for a report I did in high school French class. Today I finally own it on DVD. Seminal viewing for fans of the animated short film.

It's interesting that our main character starts out as a gaunt, slender man. But we soon find out about his voracious appetite. As he consumes everything in his path he grows larger and larger. Of course, we have a metaphor for gluttony in all its forms. The man is in no state of love or acceptance, but rather is like black holees from, taking in everything that is foodworthy. This has a striking effect and is hard to take our eyes from it.

I see I took this film a little bit more light-hearted than some of the other reviewers it seems. I used to always to see this movie in the tv guide on the Starz Encore network. I always wanted to watch it because I was just so curious about what this film was but I never could watch it because it always aired only on sundays at 5 am, it was always that day and time. Finally curiousity drove me so insane I *gasp* tried to figure out how to program my vcr, when I failed miserably I just started taping at 3 am and hoped for the best. I didn't get to watch what I had taped until I got home from school the next day and boy was it worth pretty much wasting a blank tape! This film totally blew my mind, I've always loved those weird indy foreign cartoons, especially the 70's ones. This movie not only had some of the most visually pleasing effects, it also had some of the best music I've ever heard. The overall tone of the film did seem to be an attempt to point out how wrong and selfish gluttony is and that last scene pretty much showed just how wrong he thought it really is, but the music, effects, and overall mood and atmosphere the film puts you in is too amazing and totally drowns out whatever political message this creator wanted to get out. Even the simplest things in this film, like the chewing and walking scenes just totally blow you away and burn in your memory for life. This is an all around wonderful film, a must see for any animation fan.

This is a fascinating film--not so much for what it says but because it looks so very, very early 1970s. When I watched it, it brought back memories of super-wide neckties, crazy hair and intense colors. I also liked the quality of the animation--though it was, at times, hard on the eyes. The way things seemed to morph in the film was pretty interesting. However, while there were some interesting elements, the film got old very, very quickly. It was so hard on the eyes and other senses that it was tough watching it to the conclusion.

I can see that all the other reviews have been extremely positive and I'm glad they liked it. However, I truly can't see the average person sitting through this film--it's definitely for a very select audience.

There are many experiments in the history of computer animation that either age phenomenally well or poorly. One of the better ones to show the endless possibilities of the medium is Peter Foldes' Hunger, all the way back from 1974.

Made as a satirical fable on the consequences of greed and gluttony, the film is essentially an entire rise and fall story of a simple man. Given that the whole film is told through metaphorical images without any lines of dialogue, it allows the viewers to fill in the blanks themselves. That being said, the grotesque character designs and props give off the ugliness of the real world so well that we can definitely relate to it, art or otherwise. The amount of different formations Foldes and the crew get to play with in bulging this man from skinny to obese never stops, and the key frame process they used back then allows for a frighteningly smooth flow from one shot to the next.

However, for all of the film's intents, the one thing that may be a make or break for some viewers is the music. While the modernized 70s experimental score does fit the tone pretty well, it might be a little too horrific for some people, and it's easy to see why this haunted so many animation fans for years, especially from Canada. Also, perhaps the pacing does get a little dragged out at points, and it does take a while for some of the film's messages to finally come across.

That being said, the film is made for the arthouse crowd, so it's still worth checking out for curiosity sake. As a social commentary, Hunter is quite surreal, but as an experimental piece of art, it's even better.