Budapest Classic Film Marathon 2024: George Pal Parade

Director: George Pal

Programme Section "George Pal – A Cinema of Miracles" / Eye Filmmuseum

Introduction: Leenke Ripmeester, Collection Specialist, Animation, Eye Filmmuseum

The Ship of Ether, r: George Pal, 1934, 7’
Radio Valve Revolution, r: George Pal, 1934, 4’
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, r: George Pal, 1935, 11’
Visit of the Hague Amateur Film Club to George Pal’s Studio, r: George Pal, 1936, 0,5’
On Parade, r: George Pal, 1936, 7’
What Ho! She Bumps!, r: George Pal, 1937, 7’
The Rescue Brigade, r: George Pal, 1937, 6’
The Philips Broadcast of 1938, r: George Pal, 1938, 5’
Sky Pirates, r: George Pal, 1938, 7’
Tulips Shall Grow, r: George Pal, 1942, 7’

Hungarian-born George Pal (birth name: György Marczincsák) trained in the interior architecture and furniture design department of the National Royal Hungarian School of Applied Arts (today MOME). Just a few years later, he was exploiting the woodworking skills acquired here in his colour puppet commercials made in Western Europe: the amazing shorts featuring puppets made from exchangeable, painted wood elements, advertised the modern radio appliances of Philips operating in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The pioneering significance of films coming from George Pal’s workshop – the studio known as Dollywood – turning out spectacular stop-motion films is evidenced by the fact that the film director, by then working in Hollywood, was awarded an Honorary Oscar (1943) for the development of a technique called ‘puppetoons’, a portmanteau from the words ‘puppet’ and ‘cartoon’.

More information on the Budapest Classic Film Marathon's program at Uránia >>