The Man with The Beautiful Eyes

"Hodgson’s elegantly designed short ‘The Man with the Beautiful Eyes’ was another great animated film made for UK’s Channel4 in the days when they funded quality animation for the small screen. From a poem by Charles Bukowski, it’s a story of children who encounter the dropout owner of the overgrown garden where they play, to the horror of their suburban parents. Designed by Johnny Hannah the film is informed by Hannahs and Hodgson’s admiration of Bukowski’s writing and visually by American/ Lithuanian artist Ben Shahn, early 20th century English artist Edward Bawden and 1950’s Blue Note record covers." https://www.skwigly.co.uk/100-greatest-animated-shorts-man-beautiful-eyes-jonathan-hodgson/ A collaboration between illustrator/designer Jonny Hannah and animator Jonathan Hodgson, this short animated film is a perfect mix of narrative imagery, experimental animation, and animated type. Hannah's designs of words like "goldfish" swimming and "You God Damned Whore" slapping onto the screen perfectly fit within the inky, sketched world that Hodgson creates of Bukowski's words. Filled with hand-drawn type in onscreen posters, creatures, signs, and objects, the piece perfectly integrates graphic elements into a moving environment. The simple line work of the characters, even abstracted at times, provides a narrative method of following specific people but allows for occasional experimentation. With abstract, organic, and geometric transitions and dramatic moments filled with squiggly lines or paint strokes akin to a burning fire, Hodgson illustrates smaller moments with fanfare, allowing for graphic relief from an otherwise simple story. The combination of collage, paint, and ink create a beautifully textured world to encapsulate the poem.