The Cosmic Eye; The Hole; Of Men And Demons; Voyage To Next

Being sold under the general rubric of Art and Jazz in Animation: The Films of John and Faith Hubley, this four-tape collection (which retails for $179.94 as a set) will warm the cockles of many an audiovisual librarian's heart, featuring as it does such film festival favorites as "The Hole," "Of Men and Demons," "Voyage to Next," and "The Hat." All of the tapes are comprised of more than one film, with the exception of The Cosmic Eye, a feature-length film made by Faith Hubley which follows three alien musicians who try to bring a message of peace to planet Earth while detailing its many woes. Backed by a musical score which contains music from Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Elizabeth Swados, and others, the film imaginatively recreates a wide variety of creation and cosmology myths from many different cultures, always emphasizing the good and nurturing aspects over the bad. Towards the end, the movie advances an international bill of rights (to health, to clean water, to education, to love, etc.) which are good for both the Earth and its myriad inhabitants.The Hole, my personal favorite, opens with the title piece about a pair of New York city construction workers (voices of Dizzy Gillespie and George Matthews) who argue about the fate of the world. This is followed by "The Hat," with the voices of Gillespie and Dudley Moore in a wry tale of border patrol guards who taunt one another until one accidentally drops his helmet over the line, and touches off a little philosophical debate. The final piece, "Dig," features the music of Quincy Jones and the voices of Jack Warden and Maureen Stapleton, in a story about a boy who goes on a fabulous bike ride to the center of the Earth, and learns a bit of earth science along the way.Of Men and Demons opens with the delightful Oscar-nominated title film which pits the gods of rain, wind, and fire against man, followed by "Of Stars and Men," an hour-long animated discourse on space, time, matter, energy, and life set to the music of Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, and Vivaldi.The final volume, Voyage to Next, begins with the Oscar-nominated title piece, featuring a wonderful conversation between Mother Earth (Maureen Stapleton) and Father Time (Dizzy Gillespie). In addition, the tape includes "Tender Game," "Urbanissimo," "Harlem Wednesday," "Eggs," and "Adventures of an *," of which only the final two really still engage us today.Made over a period of 30 years (1955-1985), the twelve films presented here in the Hubley collection may not appeal to modern audiences. Still, many of the pieces have held up remarkably well, and one can't help but be impressed by the fact that the Hubley's made environmental concerns a focus of their animated shorts long before the word "environmental" was even in regular usage. The series as a whole is recommended, and The Hole, by itself, is highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)