Five of a Kind: Absurdity & Satire

This is the third edition of this feature (click here for No. 1 and here for No. 2). This time I'm going to rely more on the short films themselves, rather than mostly on the music. So this will be like a little film fest on absurdity, satire and whatnot. Hey, make some popcorn if you like. By all means, forget about that wintry mix weather forecast.



"The Big Shave" by Martin Scorsese in 1967. This was an artsy NYU student film made with way more inspiration than money.



"Junkopia" was made in San Francisco in 1981 by Chris Marker of 'La Jetee" fame. With what real estate goes for in that part of the country there are probably expensive condos where the sculptures in this film were then.



"De Düva" (The Dove) was made in 1968. Directed by George Coe, it was Madeline Kahn's first appearance on film. It's a send-up of master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's "Wild Strawberries and "The Seventh Seal."



"Thank You Masked Man" is a seven-minute cartoon collaboration between comedian Lenny Bruce (who died in 1966) and filmmaker John Magnuson, who, previous to this effort, had shot/directed a documentary of a Bruce performance.



The globe scene from "The Great Dictator." Charlie Chaplin at his best in 1940.