John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No 15
Item
Title
John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No 15
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Identifier
5736.mp4
IWMFILM1216-low.mp4
Creator
Ruffell's
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Abstract
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
Date
July 1916
Date Created
1916-07-01
Temporal Coverage
1916-07-31
Spatial Coverage
England
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Source
DVD copy of original film
Medium
DVD copy of original film
Type
Footage
Contributor
Alisa Miller
Publisher
The First World War Poetry Digital Archive
producer
Cartoon Company
Subject
Allied Forces
Fighting Men
Home Front
Portrait
Propaganda
War in the Air