DOOZY (Richard Squires, UK, 2018, 70 minutes, color & b/w)
‘Where does the character end and the actor begin?’
This documentary, live action interspersed with animated sequences, examines the life of actor – and notably voice actor for Hanna-Barbera cartoons – Paul Lynde. DOOZY foregrounds ‘otherness’ in Hollywood and the symbiosis between actor and character.
This film feels like an animator’s film. The subject matter has historical and cultural significance to animation and the experimental techniques used to present the film are courageous; risks animators are often willing to take to push the boundaries of their techniques further.
DOOZY examines a world that is often neglected – that of film sound. Squires claims that DOOZY is a creative documentary and I agree. He employs various techniques that take the viewer into new territories and explorations. For example the use of ‘longer than needs to be’ looped animated sequences of Clovis, our anti – hero. On first viewing, I was urging the director to cut the shot – surely this is on screen for far too long?! But as I settled into the repetition and over-exaggeration, I relaxed into this device which seemed to reflect the characteristics of Clovis and the animation of that time.
Squires also uses a game-show-esque technique to interview various people, including leading academics of animation, mimicking the game shows Paul Lynde was part of.
DOOZY premiered at London BFI film festival in October 2018.
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