Rainbow War

OK, I'll admit that I was only five years old when I first saw this "film", but I liked it. I can recall that it was on long enough to entertain my kindergarten class (very short) but the concept was original and fun. I'll admit the colors are what caught my attention at the beginning (hey, I was five!), but the futuristic traveling device and the love story was entertaining. Considering I haven't seen this film since 1987, I still remember it. It deserves credit for being a small art piece. I would have to say that this film left a good first impression. Consider this: I remember it twenty years later after seeing it once. :)

This is one of the great short films of all time!!! I thrilled to it with members of the USSR pavilion as a visiting US journalist and its obvious yet delightful symbols of colorus representing the world powers was simplistic-undeniably- and brilliantly presented- absolutely. A gorgeous score, handsome cast and stunning production collided in one of the great world's fair cinematic experiences of all time.

Bob Rogers greatest triumph! David Spear's beautiful score! This short film made for the Canadian Pacific Pavillion at Vancouver's underrated Expo 86 extols all the virtues of good filmmaking. A succinct allegory with gorgeous set design, rollicking special effects and infectious good cheer. Worth seeking out as one of the best examples of big budget short film production. Needless to say, a 10 out of 10. And naturally, it lost to the vastly inferior talk-fest "Molly's Pilgrim" at the 1986 Academy Awards.

The previous comment to this one comes across as rather omniscient and is all "look at me I hate a popular film" in attitude...kind of like a first year university student discovering critique and doing a hack job of it.

Rainbow War was never about everyone being the same, as that reviewer suggests (SUCH a shallow reading of a pretty transparent film). It was precisely about the fact that we're NOT all the same. It was made in the context of the (pre-thaw) Cold War, and it was about breaking down barriers between cultures and nations.

It was tongue in cheek in tone, with a simple message, and it intended to appear childish and light-hearted. I guess some people are too dim to realise that.

This short film might just be the coolest film in the world for the actors--that is, if they don't mind getting covered in gallons and gallons of paint! It looked like so much fun to be in the film and it's a lot of fun to watch.

RAINBOW WAR is an Oscar-nominated live action short from Canada. And, being a Canadian film, if you look carefully you might just recognize Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles among the extras (while Stiles is an American, he lived in Toronto at the time)--two of the wonderful regulars on "Whose Line is it?". I think Ryan's a yellow guy and Colin's a blue one--it's hard to tell--especially since the extras all sport wigs or hats and so you can't look for Colin's shiny scalp! The film is a very silly film that is appropriate for kids and adults alike. It's a fairy tale of sorts about three kingdoms that have never learned that the other two exist. Each is dedicated to one color alone--all other colors are banned. So, when a genius from the Yellow land makes a weird flying machine, he lands in the red land and is amazed. However, the Yellow Princess is NOT amused as ALL lands must be yellow! About the same time, a balloon with people from the Blue kingdom arrive as well--and demand that everyone become Blue! Soon, soldiers from all three worlds are involved in a funky and non-violent "war" where they are throwing buckets of paint on each other. After a while, however, the anger subsides and they start to see all the cool possibilities these new colors provide.

Overall, despite being a rather preachy premise, the film is so much fun you can't help but admire it. A nice film and you can easily understand its Oscar nomination. Oh, and by the way, no one talks in the film at all and it's silent other than its stirring soundtrack.