The Bootleg Files: The Selfish Giant

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 878: “The Selfish Giant” (1971 Oscar-nominated animated short based on the Oscar Wilde story).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a right issue that is unresolved.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely at this time.

One of the most poignant animated films ever made is the 1971 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s story “The Selfish Giant.” Directed by Peter Sander and produced on behalf of Reader’s Digest, it is a truly wonderful production that received an Academy Award nomination. However, today the film is almost completely forgotten, which is a major shame.
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The Bootleg Files – The Challenge: A Tribute to Modern Art

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 876: “The Challenge: A Tribute to Modern Art” (1974 Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Orson Welles).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a right issue that is unresolved.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A re-release on DVD and Blu-ray is not likely at this time.

Question: How can anyone encapsulate the history of modern art in roughly 100 minutes? The answer: You cannot, although Herbert Kline gave it a spirited try with his 1974 documentary feature “The Challenge: A Tribute to Modern Art.” Perhaps the key word in the film’s title is “tribute” – as with any tribute, it provides a celebratory overview of achievement without plumbing the depth and scope of the subject with any great intensity.
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The Bootleg Files: A Doonesbury Special

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 875: “A Doonesbury Special” (1977 animated film that received an Oscar nomination).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS and laserdisc plus a blink-and-you-missed-it DVD release in an anthology collection.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a rights issue that is unresolved.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A re-release on DVD and Blu-ray is not likely at this time.

As a prefix to this column, I need to confess that I’ve never been infatuated with Garry Trudeau’s comic strip “Doonesbury.” Yes, I am highly aware of its awards and cultural resonance, but I never found Trudeau’s brand of satire to amusing or provocative. That being said, I was curious to explore “A Doonesbury Special,” the 1977 production that marked the only time that Trudeau’s comic strip was adapted into an animated film. Trudeau collaborated with Oscar-winning animators John and Season Hubley on this work – John Hubley died while the production was in the storyboard phase, but he still received co-director and co-producer credit with his wife and Trudeau.

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The Bootleg Files: The Magic Machines

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 872: “The Magic Machines” (Academy Award-winning short film about sculptor Robert Gilbert).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

Making a nonfiction film about a visual artist is always a tricky proposition. After all, the finished product is often a work of genius but the process of bringing it to fruition is frequently a tedious process. And truth be told, not every visual artist is a magnetic raconteur or a force of personality.
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The Bootleg Files: Naked Yoga

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 851: “Naked Yoga” (1974 Oscar-nominated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell deep through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

It has been said that the 1970s was the decade that good taste forgot, and that cogent designation is on full display in a 1974 short film called “Naked Yoga.” The film earned a footnote in cinema history as being among that year’s nominees in the Academy Award competition for Best Documentary Short Subject.
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The Bootleg Files: Dylan Thomas

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 848: “Dylan Thomas” (1962 Oscar-winning documentary short featuring Richard Burton).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It doesn’t appear to have been released.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There could be a rights issue preventing its release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Here’s a question for Academy Award trivia buffs: What is the only Welsh film to win an Oscar? The answer is the subject of this week’s column: “Dylan Thomas,” which earned the 1962 Best Documentary Short Subject Award.
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The Bootleg Files: Hiss and Yell

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 844: “Hiss and Yell” (1946 Oscar-nominated comedy short starring Vera Vague and Emil Sitka).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The rights holder will not make it available.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In the late 1930s, comic actress Barbara Jo Allen invented the character Vera Vague for a radio show. This character was a chatterbox, featherbrained spinster who was always in pursuit of a man. Audiences quickly embraced the character, and her appeal was so strong that Allen adopted Vera Vague as her professional name.
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