Celestial Navigations: The Short Films of Al Jarnow

Anyone who enjoyed Sesame Street (as children or adults) will likely find this collection of shorts by Al Jarnow to be a pleasant nostalgia trip. Among the 45 pieces here made between 1968-1997, many were produced for the Children's Television Workshop, from 1970's “Yak” ( a loopy introduction to the letter Y), to raps on letters and numbers from the '80s and '90s. Other Jarnow shorts, shown only in underground festivals or museum exhibits, are more experimental, toying with patterns, forms, and the passage of time using a combination of  conventional animation, stop-motion photography, home movies, collages of stills, and even direct scratches on celluloid. The segments run from less than a minute to 15, with the longest being the 1984 title piece. Largely a time-lapse record of the play of sunlight on the walls of Jarnow's studio over the course of a year, “Celestial Navigation”—which is interrupted by animated sequences and a visit to Stonehenge—exemplifies the imagination, technical idiosyncrasy, and philosophical rumination that characterize Jarnow's more personal work. Viewers can access the films chronologically or alphabetically, or in groups directed specifically to children or adults. DVD extras include an elaborate illustrated book with critical assessments, a tribute by Jarnow's son, and notes on the films. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)