Precious Images

Nothing reduces the impact of a great scene like splicing it with a zillion other ones. Most of the clips employed here are from American movies, which is annoying (especially when the filmmaker attempts to pad it down once he reaches the 1980s - are "Risky Business" and "Rocky IV" really on par with "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Rear Window"? Furthermore, the choice of music, while sometimes sly - going from the Clockwork Orange version of the William Tell Overture (for clips from action movies) to the original Gene Kelly version of "Singing In The Rain" (for feel-good clips from musicals) - is often unimaginative. I suppose I'm objecting more to the concept, however, than this particular product, as I've been similarly disgusted with similar shorts shown in conjunction with the AFI and Oscars etc. It just feels like a pasteurization.

I first saw this incredible short film on the 1986 Oscar broadcast, then again on a local PBS station. I can't think of another short film that delivers more emotional impact and sheer greatness than this one does. Chuck Workman did an excellent job not only finding the best clips from the greatest movies of all time, but then putting them together with the perfect music. A fitting tribute to the power that images and sound have to move and affect the viewer. I was lucky enough to tape this film by accident when it was tacked onto the tail end of another show being shown on PBS. Now I treasure it as one of my prized possessions. It's an absolute beauty for anyone as passionate about the movies as I am.

Chuck Workman made "Precious Images" for the fiftieth anniversary of the Directors Guild. The Academy Award-winning documentary uses a similar approach as "Koyaanisqatsi", consisting mainly of footage (although here we get some dialogue). In this case, it's scenes from some of the most famous movies.

I saw the 1996 version, so they had added scenes from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Thelma and Louise" and "Philadelphia". One could make the argument that simply showing off movie scenes amounts to glamorization of the stars, but I like seeing all these shots. Of course, I would never include any scenes of John Wayne (who endorsed white supremacy in a Playboy interview) or Tom Cruise (the number one Scientologist).

Classic Arts Showcase, a feed of short videos available on many cable channels played the 1996 version of this today. It's fantastic. What a dizzying quiz on all the classic films you've seen!

It's a sequence of hundreds of clips anywhere from 3 seconds down to about 1/4 second, played over a sequence of soundtrack excerpts. All clips are silent except for a few choice ones that have sound.

The subtitle page says, "Presented to the audiences of America in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Film by the Directors Guild of America and your local theatre".

There should be a page for the 19996 version, too.

Has it ever appeared on a DVD or laserdisc?

I know my opinion would be vehemently refuted if read by the 'die-hard' film buffs, but let me tell you all one thing: I love films as much as you all do.

I remember how mesmerized I was by the effervescence and liveliness of 'Singin in the Rain', moved to tears by the melancholy in 'Sophie's Choice' and 'Kramer vs Kramer', moved and enchanted by the grandiose of 'Gone with the Wind', entertained by 'Beverley Hills Cop', impressed (during subsequent viewings) by 'Psycho', transfixed with amazement by Robert Deniro's performance in 'Taxi Driver', amused by the double role in 'Tootsie', excited by Harrison Ford's electric 'Indiana Jones' series, shocked by 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Carrie' and umimpressed by the overrated 'Rocky', 'Poltergeist' and 'E.T'. Also, I feel the montage shown with appropriate music in the background is a nice tribute. But it does not require an 'Oscar' to prove that its the best, it can be played on the television for everyone to remember their favorite films.

I believe that by honoring this material with an Oscar, one does not award an original film, which I feel rightfully deserves the awards as Oscars should award originality and that's the point of this montage itself. My rating of this tribute: 6/10