Customer Reviews

Optical Poetry: The Life and Work of Oskar Fischinger

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I had never heard of Oskar Fischinger until I came across his "Kreise", and was surprised that such a work had been conceived in 1933. It predates and anticipates today's synchronized light shows, abstract music videos, and even Winamp visualizations.

Nevertheless, Fischinger remains a relative unknown. Thankfully William Moritz's biography provides a great deal of information on Fischinger's life and artistic influences. It is rather short, but it makes up for this with generous color illustrations throughout, which are definitely worth the price of admission. A complete descriptive filmography and a collection of "statements" from people who knew Fischinger round out the book.

It's a good book (if not the only book) for learning more about Fischinger and his work.

This book is a labor of love, and the culmination of Dr. Moritz's 30+ years of research and work with Oskar's widow, Elfriede. It includes statements written by Oskar about his films; testimonials from several generations of filmmakers inspired by Fischinger; a detailed filmography; and extensive appendices. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Fischinger, or the history of animation.