The Leader

It’s hard to say when the last time a movie actually moved me in such a way. Especially an animated movie; it is seriously hard to describe “American Pop” without coming close to tears. For some people, it’s listening to a Mozart sonata, for others, it’s a Shakespeare play, for me, it’s “American Pop.”

The fact that “American Pop” was directed by Ralph Bakshi should also come as no surprise. Anyone who knows his work should know without asking that it’s a stupendous work, whether they’ve seen this particular film or not. “American Pop” follows the life of a Jewish Russian family from its immigration to America in the late 19^th century, all the way up to the New Wave movement in the early 1980s. We watch them as they grow, as they age, we watch them as they are born, live and die. Imagine how heartbreaking it is to watch this one sequence, during the Second World War: the son of the immigrant is fighting in Germany when he discovers a piano in a burned-out building and begins to play. As he plays, a Nazi soldier emerges from his hiding place, listens briefly to the young man’s serenade, utters a word of thanks and shoots him in the back. It boggles the mind!

Time passes; it’s now the late 1950s, early ‘60s and the war hero’s son is an angst-ridden teen. He leaves home (runs away, is more like it) and aimlessly wanders the country before falling in with a group of musicians and becomes their song writer. Time passes and the drugs take hold. The dream is now a nightmare. Everything falls apart and he wanders the streets of New York City, a wasted junkie, with a son who never knew his real father.

But it’s the animation that makes “American Pop” come alive. The artwork and motion are so unbelievably fluid and life-like, thanks to the magic of rotoscoping (a technique involving filming live actors and animating on top of them; for a good example, see “A Scanner Darkly”). Their expressions, their movements, their humanity come screaming out of the television screen far better than most animated movies seen today. On top of the animation, the background mattes are absolutely astounding in their quality and depth. The whole thing, with songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and others create an absolutely mind-blowing experience that must, must, must be seen to be appreciated.

Music lovers, history lovers, cartoon lovers must see “American Pop.” It must be seen to be believed.

Article Tools