{"id":36064,"date":"2021-10-22T08:30:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T12:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=36064"},"modified":"2021-10-21T19:13:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T23:13:48","slug":"the-bootleg-files-understanding-stresses-and-strains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/22\/the-bootleg-files-understanding-stresses-and-strains\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bootleg Files: Understanding Stresses and Strains"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOOTLEG FILES 782:<\/strong> \u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains\u201d (1968 animated Disney short for the educational market). <\/p>\n

LAST SEEN:<\/strong> On YouTube.<\/p>\n

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO:<\/strong> None.<\/p>\n

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:<\/strong> A film that fell through the cracks.
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\nCHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: <\/strong>Unlikely, unless it is part of an anthology of Disney\u2019s non-theatrical films.<\/p>\n

During the 1960s, Walt Disney Productions began to curtail its output of animated short films for the theatrical market. From a commercial viewpoint, this made perfect sense because fewer cinemas were including animated shorts as part of their exhibition slate.
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However, the company did not completely abandon the animated short format. Disney maintained a non-theatrical film unit that continued to produce educational shorts for distribution to schools, corporations, nonprofits and government agencies. Although they were meant to be seen on the somewhat cramped 16mm screen rather than the expansive 35mm or even the XL-sized 70mm screen, these shorts retained the visual style and playful wit that Disney brought to its theatrical work.<\/p>\n

One of the most entertaining entries in this genre is \u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains,\u201d which Disney produced on behalf of the Upjohn Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm. Upjohn commissioned Disney to create a series of educational films under the banner \u201cUpjohn\u2019s Triangle of Health\u201d that was meant to address issues relating to wellness that envisioned the concept of health as an equilateral triangle that united physical, mental and social sides into a perfect balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains\u201d was the first entry in this series and its focus was on maintaining strong mental health when, according to the short\u2019s narrator, \u201cdriven by the pressures of our modern time.\u201d The scene quickly shifts to a hectic morning in a suburban house where a mother in curlers and a bathrobe tries to contain an overboiling pot of oatmeal while a son crams for a test while eating an oversized piece of toast and the father (in business suit) is agitated by a doom-filled newspaper headline and a clock that reminds him of his commuting schedule. <\/p>\n

This anxiety is framed by a catchy pop tune with lyrics like \u201cPush, push, rush, rush, drive, drive, go\u201d and the father becomes the center of attention in a stressful drive to work, an even more stressful day at the office under the glare of his boss and unhealthy calming with pills, booze and smoking. Poor old dad winds up at day\u2019s end as a green-hued nervous wreck slumped down in his easy chair.<\/p>\n

From here, the film abruptly shifts to live-action nature footage to show what animals can teach man for dealing with stress \u2013 because, the narrator reminds us, man is also an animal. Nature provided animals with protective responses to stress, most notably the fear instinct that triggers one of two responses: fight or flight. <\/p>\n

Reverting back to the animation, the narrator explains this fear factor exists in the human brain \u2013 specifically, in the section of the brain called the diencephalon. Disney\u2019s animators depict this brain function as a jittery caveman hovering over a large red panic button that he readies to push while watching for unseen frights. When the fear instinct \u201cgets the message\u201d (a large electrical bolt zapping the caveman in his rump), the human\u2019s fear instinct comes into play (the caveman smashes the panic button). <\/p>\n

The cartoon goes into thumbnail detail on how the inner organs respond to the caveman pushing the panic button when stressful situations \u2013 the father in an unstable job, the son worrying over a school exam \u2013 occur. It also depicts how a constant state of stress wears down the body, with the father being taken away in an ambulance due to severe ulcers. <\/p>\n

Since \u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains\u201d is barely 10 minutes long, the conclusion is somewhat abruptly wrapped up with the narrator reminding the viewer that \u201cusing basic common sense\u201d will ultimately mitigate the mental health burden created by a stressful life. Well, at least the film didn\u2019t push pharmaceuticals as a solution \u2013 after all, this wasn\u2019t a Sackler family production.<\/p>\n

Upjohn and Disney followed up \u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains\u201d with another animated short in 1968 called \u201cSteps Toward Maturity and Health.\u201d Two more shorts followed in 1969 \u2013 \u201cThe Social Side of Health\u201d and \u201cPhysical Fitness and Good Health\u201d \u2013 before the series paused until the 1979 \u201cUnderstanding Alcohol Use and Abuse.\u201d The series went on hiatus until 1992 when four live-action shorts were made, and then the series ended.<\/p>\n

Some non-pristine prints of \u201cUnderstanding Stresses and Strains\u201d can be found floating about the major online video sites. The film\u2019s ownership rights are murky and it is not available on the Disney label\u2019s home entertainment formats. For a 1960s understanding of how mental health issues can be explained through the Disney spectrum, this obscure little film is a vintage gem.<\/p>\n