Full Aperture: Heaven and Earth Magic (1961)

$6 general admission; $5 NOPA members

From Harry Smith:

The first part depicts the heroine’s toothache consequent to the loss of a very valuable watermelon, her dentistry and transportation to heaven. Next follows an elaborate exposition of the heavenly land, in terms of Israel, Montreal and the second part depicts the return to Earth from being eaten by Max Muller on the day Edward the Seventh dedicated the Great Sewer of London.

Heaven and Earth Magic is Harry Smith’s narrative apex, a singular exploration by a singular person. Made mostly from paper cutouts, the film is populated by arresting mecha-humanoid collage-beings and dozens of recurring objects. Distortions of space and size destabilize the frame and suggest a performance stage, with props being herded onto the screen and later whisked away. There are allusions to many of Smith’s personal preoccupations – alchemy, transformation, and decoding systems of meaning.