The Big Snit

'The Big Snit' came into my life complete by accident and has left an indelible mark on my soul. A scar of love, destruction and pointlessness that will forever be a part of my life. This is tale of beautiful futility. We are helpless without each other. We are helpless against governmental wrong-doings. We are helpless as to the choices we all try to make when in love. Deaf to the mutterings and goings on of an world outside the window. Blind to an inevitable apocalypse. Dumb of the hatred and greedy opinions of an over-indulgent society. This is a tale of personal commitment and triumphant love defeating the ideologies of war. Their petty bickering is a sublime observation of human nature and of how love comes with it's pains and darkness Everyone has some irritating aspect to their personality and this is observed by the makers in the most simplistic and fantastic way. We travel only a short distance with the two main characters but are left wanting to complete our own journeys with a some of their simple,loving, honest philosophy in tow. I am so very glad that i exist in this 'our time'. Another 20 years either side of my birth date, and i would not have seen and felt.... ....The Big Snit. William White. Sheffield.

My title is about the extent of the plot. But it is all of the details that make this one so special. A couple plays scrabble while the wife takes her eyeballs out, shakes them, and puts them back in, repeatedly, annoying the husband. . Only in animation. They take a break from the game and the wife vacuums. The husband watches his guilty favorite of a show - a game show called "Sawing For Teens." Yes with real saws. Both husband and wife manage to miss the TV alert saying that worldwide nuclear war has broken out.

So this is about two people who argue and make up against the background of a sudden end they do not know is coming. Their cat does what you would expect of a cat in that situation - he packs his bags and leaves.

I've always loved this film, it's so touching and sweet, while being surreal and full of strange little details, like the massive tire in one of the rooms - I spot something new every time I watch it. Perfection.

And it turns out that so far mankind has not had to face extinction from global nuclear war. However, this short did predict the trend of stupid reality shows. I'd highly recommend watching it several times.

As a bickering couple's fight about a scrabble game escalates, so does the war outside their home. This strange little Canadian animated tale of 'love in the ruins' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1986 (losing to Cilia van Dijk's 'Anna & Bella'). The kinetic little feature is crudely but effectively animated and like many great cartoons, the background is full of deft touches that makes rewatching rewarding. The imagery borders on the surreal at times, notably the wife's habit of removing her eyes and shaking the pupils back into place and the husbands saw fetish (his favorite TV program is the game show "Sawing for Teens"). The cat is hilarious.

This is a very strange little short film that initially didn't impress me. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the animation here certainly ain't pretty--though after a while you notice that the simple and silly drawings do possess a certain odd charm. That's probably because with the script as screwy as this one, the animation works.

The film shows an older couple sitting at the table playing Scrabble. At the same time they are fixated on this game or other bizarre pursuits (such as the husband's compulsion to saw things--even the chair and table)! And all of this stuff occurs as the television warns of pending atomic annihilation--Armageddon is definitely here! Naturally, the neighbors are screaming and running amok--during which time the couple obliviously continues with this idiotic game. Heck, even their cat knows the end is coming as the couple begin bickering about who may or may not have cheated--leading to a very surreal ending indeed!! The film deserves kudos for both being unique as well as very funny. While it did not win the Oscar, it was nominated for Best Animated Short--which it richly deserved.

Anyone who has ever played Scrabble with a loved one will know just how dangerous it can be if someone has a nice seven letter word and the other a collection of vowels that might only make a word used by a kid in a playground! Well that's what happens here when the couple are having a game and he is stuck. She's bored waiting, so goes and hoovers their home whilst he puts the television on and watches some of his favourite pastime - sawing! Yes, that's using a saw to cut through things. Not surprisingly, it has a rather soporific effect on him (and their dog) and when he awakes after a few idyllic dreams of days gone by, he takes a quick squint at her letters but is caught. She throws a bit of a paddy and he has to find a way to placate her. Meantime, the television announces that there's a nuclear war ongoing and that they mustn't smoke! It's a simple animation with bulging bodily features and a slightly surreal slant to it before a denouement that I did rather enjoy.