Colour Box: 19 Films by Len Lye

Colour Box: 19 Films by Len Lye is the largest and most complete collection of work by the New Zealand-born master of ‘direct’ animation and as Time magazine put it, “England’s answer to Walt Disney”.

This DVD is an essential resource for cinephiles and fans of Lye’s work, presenting masterpieces across Lye’s pioneering career in film, made between 1929 to 1979. It includes his first film Tusalava (1929) through to the masterpiece ‘scratch’ films Free Radicals (1958) and Particles in Space (1979). 

At the heart of Lye’s career is his acclaimed body of work for Britain’s General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. These short film advertisements represent some of the most innovative production techniques ever applied to film, with vivid hand-painted imagery, jump-cut editing and synchronised to popular tunes of the day. All four GPO films are included in Colour Box: 19 Films by Len Lye – the titular A Colour Box (1935), Rainbow Dance (1936), N or NW (1937) and Trade Tattoo (1937). The DVD presents these and other 1930s animations alongside early stop-motion films Experimental Animation (1933) and Birth of a Robot (1936). Several lesser-known films appear in restored form, including Life’s Musical Minute (1953) and the majestic All Souls Carnival (1957).

This DVD project is a collaboration between Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision and the Len Lye Foundation, and was assisted by the Technix Group Ltd and the Stout Trust.

Colour Box: 19 Films by Len Lye

TUSALAVA 1929, 10 mins

A COLOUR BOX 1935, 4 mins

KALEIDOSCOPE 1935, 4 mins

EXPERIMENTAL ANIMATION (Peanut Vendor) 1934, 3 mins

THE BIRTH OF THE ROBOT 1936, 7 mins

RAINBOW DANCE 1936, 5 mins

TRADE TATTOO 1937, 5 mins

COLOUR FLIGHT 1938, 4 mins

N. OR N.W. 1937, 7 mins

SWINGING THE LAMBETH WALK 1939, 4 mins

MUSICAL POSTER #1 1940, 3 mins

LIFE'S MUSICAL MINUTE circa 1953, 2 mins

COLOR CRY 1952, 3 mins

RHYTHM 1957, 1 min

ALL SOULS CARNIVAL 1957, 9 mins

FREE RADICALS 1958 (revised 1979), 4 mins

PRIME TIME circa 1958, 1 minute

TAL FARLOW circa 1957, 2 mins

PARTICLES IN SPACE 1979, 4 mins