Icar [1974]

8 min. / no dialog / Romania / dir. Mihail Badica

This short film was made using the technique that would go on to be called “Claymation,” a burgeoning art form at this time which explains the film’s simple visual style. It is a humorous yet thoughtful take on the story of Icarus.

The film opens with a bird’s eye view of a planet, then zooms in as laughter echoes over a spacey synthesizer soundtrack. The head of a human figure emerges from the ground, then several others pop up as well. As the first figure wiggles back and forth, struggling to move, the laughter of the others resounds around him. Suddenly his hand emerges from the ground and the others fall silent in amazement. This cycle of struggle, ridicule and amazement happens again and again as the figure pushes out of the ground, begins crawling, then finally comes to stand and walk. The figure then jumps from a cliff and crashes to the ground. The others laugh as he tries again and fails. Then they abandon him as he lies on the ground in a heap, but slowly he raises himself up and beats his fists on the ground in frustration. As he does so, his fists turn into wings and he flies forth, as the others look on in amazement. They then begin to flap their arms and all eventually fly into the air. The film ends with a panorama of the figures flying through the sky to the strange synth music in what seems to be a joyful and carefree way.

Badica’s film, in its combination of the nascent medium of Claymation with a revised version of the story of Icarus, puts forth a theory on human progress and its dependence on individuals who attempt the seemingly impossible in the face of ridicule. In an interview, Badica said that he won an award in Los Angeles in 1975 for this film, which consecrated him as a director, but which award is not made clear.

More: https://artexit.ro/mihail-badica/

https://www.scritub.com/limba/engleza/personalities/MIHAI-BADICA-n1041922123.php