John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No 15
| Title |
John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No 15
|
|---|---|
| Author |
Ruffell's
|
| Notes |
Short, humorous stop-frame animation propaganda film made for British Home Front audiences during the First World War. The film consists solely of a series of animated jokes, drawn and lettered directly onto the screen by ""our famous artist"" The artist's hand is shown (speeded up) as a scene is drawn with a brush, and then inhabited by animated cut-outs, moved frame-by-frame. The illustrations are in a comic style similar to Bruce Bairnsfather. The artist interjects comments on his own performance, eg ""I receive remuneration for doing this sometimes"""A little encouragement would oblige"" etc. The principal animated episodes are as follows.""Exclusive view of the countless prisoners captured by the Germans"" - the prisoners are moving dummies on an endless belt operated by the Kaiser himself.""In the remainder of the front there is nothing to report"" - it is a shirt front.""Zeppelin reconnoitring over Greece"" - a fly and a bowl of dripping.""The German Fleet sails out to meet the British"" - a change of perspective reveals the drawing to be of houses, chimneys and telegraph poles - ""Sorry my mistake"""An explanation of the expression 'Curtain Fire'"" - a curtained window beside a fireplace:""See the point?" - a gimlet or corkscrew.""A moon " A star " Two stars " Three stars"" - the three stars are on a bottle which the moon drinks, becoming drunk and then ""Whoa Emma " I'm off home"" setting.""Last night we gained three metres: Berlin"" - three German soldiers cross the screen then return, each carrying a gas meter.""Another Zeppelin destroyed"" - a caricature Charlie Chaplin in a wheelchair ultimately defeats the Zeppelin by having it tie itself in knots
|
| Item date |
July 1916
|
| Creation place |
England
|
| Item source | |
| Item medium | |
| Content | |
| Cataloguer |
Alisa Miller
|
| Filename |
IWMFILM1216-low.mp4
|
| Copyright |
The Imperial War Museum Film Archive
|
| Digital repository | |
| Collection ID |
IWM 1216
|
| Repository name |
Imperial War Museum Film and Video Archive
|
| Repository address line1 |
Imperial War Museum
|
| Repository address line2 |
Lambeth Road
|
| Repository address line3 |
London
|
| Repository address Zip code |
SE1 6HZ
|
| Repository address country |
UK
|
| Repository address URL | |
| Publication editor |
Unknown
|
| Producer |
Cartoon Company
|
| Cameramen |
Unknown
|
Collection
Citation
“John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No 15,” by Ruffell's. The Imperial War Museum Film Archive via First World War Poetry Digital Archive, accessed June 2, 2023, http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/5508.
Permitted Use
This item is available for non-commercial educational use under the terms of the Jisc Model Licence. Further details available at: http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/permitteduse
