Sun Flight (1966)

6 min.; dir. Gerald McDermott; no words

The award-winning children’s book writer and illustrator Gerald McDermott created this interpretive film, subtitled “the myth of Daedalus and his son, Icarus.” This retelling depicts the pair’s imprisonment by King Minos, the youth’s flight, and his tragic descent into the sea in a distinctive cutout style that recalls the art of Henri Matisse. It also features some psychedelic light play and a postmodern soundtrack which accompanies the imagery. Joseph Campbell served as an advisor on the production. The story was published as a book by the same name in 1980 by McDermott, but it featured different artwork.