''Early Abstractions'' is a collection of seven short animated films created by

Harry Everett Smith Harry Everett Smith (May 29, 1923 – November 27, 1991) was an American polymath, who was credited variously as an artist, experimental filmmaker, bohemian, mystic, record collector, hoarder, student of anthropology and a Neo-Gnostic bis ...

between 1939 and 1956. Each film is between two and six minutes long, and is named according to the chronological order in which it was made. The collection includes ''Numbers 1–5'', ''7'', and ''10'', while the missing ''Numbers 8'' and ''9'' are presumed to have been lost. The idea of the numbering was to suggest a coherent link between each individual film, and that they were to be treated not just on their own but as part of a larger body of work. Of the missing chapters, ''Number 6'' was made up of three-dimensional optically printed abstractions; ''Number 8'' was a black and white collage of clippings taken from nineteenth century ladies wear catalogues and elocution books, and ''Number 9'' was a color collage of

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

books and nineteenth century temperance movement posters. The remaining films show a gradual evolution in Smith's technical complexity, with blunt abstraction rudimentary motion more prominent in the early shorts, in contrast to an allegoric dance of

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s, and

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and

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istic symbols. Initially recorded with no sound, a medley of music by

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was added retrospectively. Because the songs do not exactly sync up with each individual film, some critics have opined that this does not enhance the film, and recommend watching it in silence. In 2006, ''Early Abstractions'' was selected to the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the Librarian of Congress for its "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance". The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

preserved films 1, 2, and 3 of ''Abstractions''.

Notes

References

External links

*
Early Abstractions, parts 1, 2, 3

Early Abstractions, parts 3, 4

Early Abstractions, parts 5, 7

Early Abstractions, part 10

Review of Early Abstractions
* ''Early Abstractions'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 521-52

American animated short films Collage film United States National Film Registry films Compilation films Films directed by Harry Everett Smith {{short-animation-film-stub