Rebellion of the Flowers

Transcript (Download)

You Jan was a farmer clear through He loved nothing better than to make things grow He understood nature's needs He sweated through long hours of toil to prepare beds for the seeds he planted First with spade he freed the soil breaking it into clumps and Then with hoe and rake painstakingly he worked it finer and finer When he felt satisfied that he had provided the best womb his labors could devise He prepared for the next step which for him was the reward of his efforts and Almost trembling with the joy of communion he placed each seed Then tenderly but firmly pressed down Sealing his precious seed into its cozy nourishing chamber Afterward Jan retired very tired and very contented For the next days Jan kept careful watch over his beds If the weather was dry he would lug buckets of water and lightly spray the mounds Assuring each seed a moist soft cover to ease its way out of the ground And when the first bit of green broke through the soil Jan experienced a kind of ecstasy Which can only come from participation in an act of creation In the days that followed he hovered over his plants lovingly examining each one for its condition Shielding them from any of nature's excesses Weeds didn't have a chance.

They were pulled as fast as they appeared The soil was constantly worked to keep it buoyant and damp His flowers thrived Each very early morning when Jan walked through the field inspecting his progeny They opened their petals wide stretching upward tall to reach and salute to Jan Scattering their best sense in his pathway Although they could not speak they showed their love and appreciation With color and shape and perfume Giving their most in the way things do that receive so generously of love and tender care At times Jan was so filled with his sense of purpose he felt very close to God Once in a while he felt that in the sight of his flowers he was God One unusually sun -scorching day Jan was working his beds close to the ground He raised his eyes and saw the flower above his head bowing under the intense authority of the sun An implausible annoyance swept through Jan He did not like the idea of his flowers humbling themselves before the glowing sun His anger wished the sun out of the sky And when some clouds blocked the sun's rays he exalted But the clouding was momentary In a bit of time the sun again appeared and the flowers lowered their blooms before it You never bowed down like that to me he cried Though I have tended you, cared for you, worked for you, it is the sun you exalt Then he saw his shadow A sensation of power stirred within him He had displaced the sun He gloried now not in the love and color and scent of his flowers But in the adulation which the bent heads implied to him The sky began to darken but he did not notice He was by now so obsessed with his own power Though there was no wind the flowers began to stir a whispering sound By the time Jan realized something was happening the sky had gone very dark And the rustling became a rumble He demanded obedience and quiet but the hubbub and the lashing increased The sky was a purple black and the twisting flowers whipped a deafening din A tug threw Jan off his balance He felt the damp soil under him and then oozing around and over he screamed sounds As he sank the flowers spread themselves over the earth The roar became a rumble and the rumble became a rustle And then there was silence The next morning the sun came out The flowers were beautiful in their brilliant color And there was a curious spice mixed with the sweetness of their perfume The next morning the sun came out The flowers were beautiful in their brilliant color And there was a curious spice mixed with the sweetness of their perfume The next morning the sun came out The next morning the sun came out The flowers were beautiful in their brilliant color

Identifier

F.2010-01-0343

Date Of Production

1992

Abstract

Rebellion of the Flowers is most likely the last film Millie Goldsholl finished, and took over ten years to complete. Completed three years before her husband’s death, the film is dedicated to “Morton Goldsholl and the Good People who resist the abuse of power in any form.”

Narrated by Shepard Strudwick, Rebellion of the Flowers tells the story of a gardener, Jan, who “understood nature’s needs” and worked hard to grow and care for his plants. He protected and looked after his flowers, providing them with “love and gentle care.” He took great pride in his work and, as a result of his labor, felt “filled with purpose” and “close to God.” However, Jan’s love and adoration of the flowers transforms into a distortion of his power, as he becomes jealous of the flowers bowing “under the intense authority of the sun.” Jan’s body reflects this internal transformation, and he becomes a looming totalitarian figure demanding the obedience of his flowers. When he realizes that his shadow can block the sun, the flowers rebel and twist around his body, drawing him into the earth. The next morning, the sun comes out, and a “sparking and sweet smell” (perhaps Jan’s body transformed into metaphorical fertilizer) mixes with the natural perfume of the flowers.

Worked on by a relatively large team of animators (including Ken Mundie, Paul Jessel, Marie Cenkner, Dan Chessher, Mary Jones, and John Weber), its style is very different than other films made by Millie and the film division at Goldsholl Associates. Drawn illustrations of the flowers and natural world are contrasted with the domineering and almost grotesque figure of Jan. Images of flower petals delicately unfolding are animated with extreme sensitivity. Superimpositions and slow cross-dissolves are used to evoke a sense of fluidity within the natural world.

Rebellion of the Flowers’ critique of power and authority resonates with another award-winning hand-drawn animation created by Millie Goldsholl, Up is Down (1969), that tells the story of a boy who sees the world differently than others and, as a result, is considered a threat to society.

Run Time

0:08:18

Format

35mm

Extent

725 feet

Color

Sound

Optical

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Distribution Print

Form

Animations
Short

Subject

Nature
Flowers
Fables

Related Collections

SERIES II: Personal Films (Animations, Experimental, Home Movies, Elements)

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago

Main Credits

Goldsholl, Millie (is director)

Additional Credits

Goldsholl, Millie (is writer)

Jessel, Paul (is animator)

Weber, John (is animator)

Valentine, Hugh (is cinematographer)

Kolias, Nick (is editor)

Goldsholl, Millie (is editor)

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