Free Radicals (film)

For the 2003 Austrian film, see Böse Zellen.

1979 American film

Free Radicals

Directed by| Len Lye
Music by| Baguirmi tribe of Africa

Release date

* 1979 (1979)

Running time

| 4 minutes
Country| United States

Free Radicals is a black-and-white animated film short by avant-garde filmmaker Len Lye.[1] Begun in 1958 and completed in 1979, Lye made the film by directly scratching the film stock. The resulting "figures of motion" are set to music by the Baguirmi tribe of Africa.[2]

## Production[edit]

In Experimental Animation: the origins of a new art, Len Lye recalled making Free Radicals:

> "I made Free Radicals from 16mm black film leader, which you can get from DuPont. I took a graver, various kinds of needles. (My range included arrowheads for romanticism.) You stick down the sides with scotch tape and you get to work with scratching the stuff out. … … You hold your hand at the right height and act is if you were making your signature. It goes on forever. You can carry a pictographic design in your head and make a little design. You can't see what you're doing because your hand is in the way. That's why those things have that kind of spastic look."[3]

## Legacy[edit]

In 2008, the film was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.[4][5]

Free Radicals appears on the DVD Rhythms, a collection of short films by Lye.[6]

## See also[edit]

* List of avant-garde films of the 1950s
* Independent animation
* 1979 in film

## References[edit]

1. ^ WorldCat.org
2. ^ The Third Eye
3. ^ Russet, R (1988). Experimental Animation : origins of a new art. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80314-3.
4. ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry" News from the Library of Congress (30 December 2008)
5. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
6. ^ Re:Voir Vidéo + The Film Gallery

## External links[edit]

* Official Website
* Free Radicals at IMDb
* Free Radicals at the TCM Movie Database
* Free Radicals at AllMovie
* Free Radicals on MUBI
* Free Radicals essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN 0826429777, pages 761-762 [1]

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Len Lye

* A Colour Box (1935)
* Rainbow Dance (1936)
* Kill or Be Killed (1942)
* Free Radicals (1979)

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