The Library of Congress will feature “Molto Animato! Music and Animation” |
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| Written by Erin Allen |
| Friday, 06 November 2009 01:44 |
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“Molto Animato!” explores the unparalleled collections in the Library’s Music, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound, and Prints and Photographs divisions. Juxtaposing music scores, lyrics and drawings with film clips and sound recordings, the exhibition provides a glimpse into the intricate merging of art forms that brings drawings to life. Featured items include a pen-and-ink brush drawing of conductor Leopold Stokowski by caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias; the score from “Bambi,” with music by Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb and lyrics by Larry Morey; John Alden Carpenter’s manuscript piano score for “Krazy Kat: A Jazz Pantomime”; and the movie poster for “Walt Disney Pictures Presents Aladdin.” So what is it about Bambi that sets it apart from the other Walt Disney movies? As most of you know, at its core it is a simple story about growing up. The movie follows Bambi from taking his first steps, to befriending his pals Thumper the rabbit, Flower the skunk, and Owl to meeting his first love, Faline. As Bambi begins to grow up, he must also deal with the tragic death of his mother as well as other growing pains that we have experienced in one way or another. Throw on top of all that the destructive threat that humans bring to the forest, and all the early character development really pays off in the latter half of the movie as the adventure builds. Then, set this carefully crafted story in beautiful environmental artwork along with skillfully executed character animation, and you have an enduring classic. When you think about it, the original nitrate prints of this film are over 60 years old, and even though they have been stored under optimum conditions at the Library of Congress for decades, age ultimately takes its toll and can literally make beautiful art disappear. Enter one of the most ambitious restoration efforts in Disney's history, which has returned this animation classic to a level unseen since the artwork was originally photographed. The original nitrate prints were scanned into a computer system for digital restoration, and after more than 9,600 hours of tedious frame-by-frame work and over 110,000 frames film, most of the scratches, dust, color imbalances, and general degradation have been removed without impacting the artistic intent of the original animators and artists. Also on view will be items from the Library’s Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature, the David Raksin Collection of film scores and the Howard Ashman Collection, including the draft script of Disney’s animated film “The Little Mermaid.” Free and open to the public, the exhibition is open from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday and is located in the foyer outside the Performing Arts Reading Room on the first floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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