The Cartoons of Bob Godfrey

I suppose a title such as "Dear Marjory Boobs" kind of tips the mental hand of its filmmaker, and Bob Godfrey, the Australian born UK animator whose pioneering work would later influence contemporary stars such as Terry Gilliam (who animated Monty Python) and Wallace & Gromit wiz Nick Park, is clearly a bit on the puerile and juvenile side. But that doesn't mean he isn't funny, and in the best of the 9 collected shorts here, including "Henry 9 to 5" (about an office drone who daydreams about sex) and "Marx for Beginners" (a humorous send-up of working class exploitation), Godfrey's droll British-tinged sense of humor still evokes chuckles. Presented in roughly chronological order, the pieces here range from mild to saucy, with the latter most evidently on display in the bawdy "Dear Marjory Boobs" in which an average repressed joe mails his fantasies to the titular (excuse the pun) "Dear Abby"-like sex advisor. Unfortunately, this slapped together video of varying quality omits most of Godfrey's best known work, including the Academy Award-winning "Great" and Oscar nominees "Kama Sutra Rides Again," "Dream Doll," and "Small Talk," as well as the British Academy Award winner "Henry's Cat." Since this is not the "dream" assemblage of Godfrey's best, consider this an optional purchase for larger collections. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)