Why Man Creates

Most people know Saul Bass as this genius who created memorable title and credit sequences for major Hollywood pictures (also a number of important corporate logos) - but he also created this marvelous short (about 25 minutes) called "Why Man Creates".

I first saw this wonderful film in a post graduate class in the 1970s. It was a real eye opener and made me think about why we create the things we do - whatever they may be and how we sometimes have to suffer the negativity of others for our artistic efforts.

Saul Bass' vignettes and parables in this film have depth and meaning that grab and stay with you. My favorite is the one with ping pong balls, which I won't give away.

This film makes you think. If you ever get the chance, don't miss it. It could influence your life in a very positive way. It did mine. It is a film I will never forget.

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UPDATE: "Why Man Creates" is now available on VHS and DVD for direct sale through pyramidmedia.com for $49 plus S&H. Technical quality of film to video transfer is disappointing. However, although the film is dated in some aspects - it holds up very well in its premise and concept.

This is a really powerful documentary. I first saw it on my first day of Gifted & Talented Education at Pinewood Elementary. I was so amazed by the revolutionary ideas, especially the part with the ping pong balls at the factory. Balls come off the production line and are tested to make sure they bounce within a certain range. One ball bounces higher and is rejected, and ends up bouncing further and going on to greater heights than any others. For a Gifted & Talented class, this was a really powerful metaphor. This is a great film to make one think critically about the world surrounding us and how ideas can be influenced by others' opinions -- especially if the opinions later prove to be invalid and fearful. 4/****

This film was shown widely in classrooms in the late 1960s and early 1970s, usually at the middle-school level, and usually by English or Social Studies teachers. I saw it several times, shown by several teachers. I don't know if it's still in use today in classrooms, but it seems to be largely a forgotten film. It's entertaining all the way through (except the interviews with the scientists does drag a tiny bit, in comparison to the other segments) and inspires you to think and wonder about the processes of creativity, imagination, invention and discovery. In today's world, where it seems like an entire generation has been lost to video games where all you do is go around and kill people, this film may seem like an anachronism. But it should still be shown in classrooms as it may inspire some students to think boldly and create something valuable or memorable during their lifetimes. I would encourage anyone, of any age, who has not seen this to get it and watch it at least once. It's a compact, short film, less than 30 minutes so there is really no excuse for anyone not to watch it.

I saw Why Man Creates in grad school in 1969 and used it at the beginning of nearly every high school World History or Western Civ class I taught here in Alaska between 1970 and 1993. It is the most thought-provoking, engaging, stimulating film I've ever seen that can be used from about 5th grade to age 95. The other descriptions of sequences and 'mini-episodes' in IMDb are very accurate but do not replicate the experience of seeing it. Having seen it 150 or 200 times, to me it still is entertaining and I still notice new details in its fast paced blow by. Bass created a masterpiece. He died in 1996 but this is his generous legacy.

Should WMC be shown regularly on TV? Maybe, but I think it's best when viewers can discuss WMC together, rather than watching it alone in the dark. It ought to be put on DVD and marketed at a low price; it is timeless and could sell across generations. I'm curious how it might be regarded in other nations if it were seen abroad. Would Canadians, Australians or the British find it funny or provocative? How about English speakers in Nigeria or Kenya or India? Parts of it are culturally bound to European civilization, but other sections could be dubbed into any local language and enjoyed. Unequivocally, Why Man Creates is a MUST-SEE film!

This film, when I saw it as a child in the early 70's, affected me profoundly. Although my memory has faded some, certain specific things were inexorably embedded in my consciousness: A wee creature hopping along, chanting "I'm a bug, I'm a germ, I'm a bug, I'm a germ!" Upon bumping into the boots of a bearded man, it exclaims, "Louis Pasteur!!! I'm not a bug, I'm not a germ!" And I cannot forget the exchange between Michaelangelo and da Vinci: "Whaddaya doin?" "I'm painting the ceiling! Whadda you doin?" "I'm painting the floor!"

These recollections, faded but still strong, do not reflect the scope or genius of this short film, but they do reflect its spirit. In a series of unconnected sequences, Why Man Creates is simultaniously an exploration, example, and homage to Man's creative spirit. It shows, with the unique power of film, that imagination is, indeed, boundless and that the act of creation is as much a part of being human as anything else.

This film deserves to be preserved and shared with each generation of young children so that their imaginations can be freed to soar with whimsy and joy.