Frank Film

Summary

It is a compilation of images co-creator Frank Mouris had collected from magazines interwoven with two narrations, one giving a mostly linear autobiography and the other stating words having to do with the images, the story the first voice is relating, or neither. Each second voice word or phrase involves an "F". Frank made the film with his wife Caroline Mouris, daughter of mathematician Lars Ahlfors. The soundtrack was conceived and created by Tony Schwartz.

Reception

The movie won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Animated Films and the Annecy Cristal at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival alongside praise by film critic Andrew Sarris as the best American film at the New York Film Festival and "a nine minute evocation of America's exhilarating everythingness". Vulture ranked the film #82 on their list of Oscar-winning animated shorts.

Legacy

In 1996, Frank Film was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was also featured in the 1985 movie titled Explorers. The film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2019.

Frank Film is included on the 2007 DVD five by two: five animated shorts by frank & caroline mouris. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows.

Notes

References

• Olivier Cotte (2007) Secrets of Oscar-winning animation: Behind the scenes of 13 classic short animations. (Making of Frank Film) Focal Press.

References

1. [https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1974 1974. Oscars.org]
2. [https://archive.org/details/guidetoshortfilm0000schr/page/60/mode/2up Guide to short films: Schrank, Jeffery: Internet Archive (pgs. 60-61)]
3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCCsBfnDZQM Frank Film, Frank Mouris (1973) - extract on YouTube]
4. [https://bampfa.org/event/seventies The Seventies. BAMPFA]
5. [https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/cartoons-considered-for-an-academy-award-1973/ Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award 1973. Cartoon Research]
6. [https://bampfa.org/program/loose-ends Loose Ends. BAMPFA]
7. [https://archive.org/details/1974FrankFilmFrank 1974 Frank Film Frank: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive]
8. {{arxiv. 2506.12850
9. [https://www.oddballfilms.com/clip/13166_9013_collage_film_3 Oddball Films]
10. [https://www.oddballfilms.com/clip/13166_9013_collage_film_1 Oddball Films]
11. [https://www.oddballfilms.com/clip/13166_9013_collage_film_2 Oddball Films]
12. [https://youtube.com/watch?v=F3sM_Fn_Q90 The Opening of the Academy Awards:1974 Oscars]
13. Fassler, Jeremy. (26 February 2019). "Every Oscar Winner for Animated Short Subject, Ranked".
14. "Complete National Film Registry Listing".
15. "Preserved Projects".
16. "Five by two: Five animated shorts (DVD)".
17. [https://www.animationshowofshows.com/collections/dvds/products/the-animation-show-of-shows-volume-24 The Animation Show of Shows (Volume 24)]