Len Lye Movies

  • 1942
    Work Party

    Work Party

    Work Party

    01942HD

    Documentary about women factory workers.

    Work Party
  • 1952
    Bells of Atlantis

    Bells of Atlantis

    Bells of Atlantis

    5.1581952HD

    A perfect fusion of poetry and film, with dense layered imagery and music from electro pioneers Louise and Bebe Barron. The writer Anaïs Nin...

    Bells of Atlantis
  • 1943
    Cameramen at War

    Cameramen at War

    Cameramen at War

    5.21943HD

    A tribute to the cameramen of the newsreel companies and the service film units, in the form of a compilation of film of the cameramen themselves,...

    Cameramen at War
  • 1957
    Rhythm

    Rhythm

    Rhythm

    6.1151957HD

    Intended as a publicity film for Chrysler, Rhythm uses rapid editing to speed up the assembly of a car, synchronizing it to African drum music. The...

    Rhythm
  • 1953
    Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five

    Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five

    Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five

    01953HD

    Len Lye made this experiment in animating poetry circa 1953 utilising a clip of Sir John Gielgud reciting a passage from The Tempest.

    Ariel’s Song / Full Fathom Five
  • 1942
    Planned Crops

    Planned Crops

    Planned Crops

    01942HD

    Short comedic documentary about crops.

    Planned Crops
  • 1937
    Colour Flight

    Colour Flight

    Colour Flight

    6.61937HD

    This riot of color was a showcase for Lye’s hand-painted and stenciled imagery. Sponsored by Imperial Airways, it incorporates the...

    Colour Flight
  • 1936
    The Birth of the Robot

    The Birth of the Robot

    The Birth of the Robot

    6.81936HD

    This experiment was a “prestige advertisement” for Shell Motor Oil. As conventional animation became dominated by Walt Disney, many...

    The Birth of the Robot
  • 2023
    Peanuts

    Peanuts

    Peanuts

    02023HD

    While stocking the shelves at work late at night, Mike finds a mysterious tape that calls upon The Peanut Vendor.

    Peanuts
  • 1967
    Art of the Sixties

    Art of the Sixties

    Art of the Sixties

    01967HD

    This film documents the major directions in modern American art during the first seven years of the 1960s. The keynote is that the artist has...

    Art of the Sixties
  • 1941
    When the Pie Was Opened

    When the Pie Was Opened

    When the Pie Was Opened

    7.51941HD

    Surrealism, avant-garde sound montage, and irreverent wit might be the last thing you'd expect from a government-sponsored film about wartime...

    When the Pie Was Opened
  • 1940
    Swinging the Lambeth Walk

    Swinging the Lambeth Walk

    Swinging the Lambeth Walk

    5.81940HD

    Lye edited together “swing” versions of the popular Lambeth Walk (including Django Reinhardt on guitar and Stephane Grapelli on violin),...

    Swinging the Lambeth Walk
  • 1942
    Musical Poster #1

    Musical Poster #1

    Musical Poster #1

    4.6671942HD

    A British WWII propaganda short warning citizens that Nazi sympathizers could be listening to their everyday conversations to discover important...

    Musical Poster #1
  • 1959
    Fountain of Hope/Peace

    Fountain of Hope/Peace

    Fountain of Hope/Peace

    01959HD

    In 1959 the United Nations commissioned Lye to make this one-minute film, “Fountain of Hope,” to publicize United Nations Day (24th...

    Fountain of Hope/Peace
  • 1957
    All Souls Carnival

    All Souls Carnival

    All Souls Carnival

    4.51957HD

    Len Lye usually timed his films with great care to match their soundtracks, but for All Souls Carnival, he and composer Henry Brant worked...

    All Souls Carnival
  • 1952
    Color Cry

    Color Cry

    Color Cry

    5.6111952HD

    In 1944 Lye moved to New York City, initially to direct for the documentary newsreel The March of Time. He settled in the West Village, where he...

    Color Cry
  • 1958
    Pictures for Percussion

    Pictures for Percussion

    Pictures for Percussion

    01958HD

    Len Lye made Pictures for Percussion as a sample for television stations while living in the United States.

    Pictures for Percussion
  • 1945
    March of Time: Night Club Boom

    March of Time: Night Club Boom

    March of Time: Night Club Boom

    01945HD

    Documentary about New York night clubs.

    March of Time: Night Club Boom
  • 1942
    Collapsible Metal Tubes

    Collapsible Metal Tubes

    Collapsible Metal Tubes

    01942HD

    Experimental documentary about recycling.

    Collapsible Metal Tubes
  • 1953
    Life's Musical Minute

    Life's Musical Minute

    Life's Musical Minute

    5.51953HD

    Life’s Musical Minute, recently re-discovered, is a short promotional film of this kind, based on Gene Krupa’s drum solo from...

    Life's Musical Minute