Saul Bass: A Selection of Short Films

Together with his wife Elaine, the movie title and poster designer also directed a number of short films, ranging from television ads to science fiction fantasies. From Here to There (1964, 9m) was developed for United Airlines for its World’s Fair pavilion. Shot on 35mm and 70mm film, the eight-minute film captures the magic of jet travel. The Academy-Award winning Why Man Creates (1968, 29m) humorously portrays the evolution of the creative process, while the Oscar-nominated Notes on the Popular Arts (1978, 20m) tells the story of a young violinist who, inspired by comics, imagines himself as Superfiddle capable of vaporizing villains with the screech of his bow. The science-fiction film Quest (1984, 30m) is set in a world where life, from birth to death, is limited to eight days. Inventive use of special effects garnered appreciation from the likes of George Lucas. The eight days of a young man’s journey to breach the “gates” where life is lived for 20,000 years or more is set in a world that is at once archaic and post-apocalyptic. All film prints provided courtesy of the Academy Film Archives.

Looking at Saul Bass

The New York Jewish Film Festival pays homage to the well-known graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Saul Bass (1920–1996), who designed title sequences and film posters for directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, and Martin Scorsese during his prolific 40-year career.