75. The Adventures of Mark Twain (1984) - Dir: Will Vinton
I remember staying home from church one Sunday morning because I was sick. While flipping through the channels on the television, I came across one of the most curious and memorable movies I had ever seen. It was a clay-animated film about Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher, and their cosmic journey across the universe in a giant mechanical air balloon-ship, trying to catch Haley’s Comet. A few years later I discovered the film's name - The Adventures of Mark Twain - and to this very day, some 20-odd years later, I still vividly remember many of the details. Luckily, now, Will Vinton’s timeless classic has finally resurfaced on a new, and newly remastered, DVD.
Before watching the DVD, I knew that the film was visually powerful. After all, I had only seen it the one time, when I was very young and sick, and yet I have memories of certain scenes that have never left me. And so I had a feeling it was at least going to be a positive nostalgic experience. What I was not prepared for, however, was how truly remarkable and powerful it is, even when viewed as an adult – probably even more so now than ever. It is full of many dark, and lofty themes, mirroring those found in Twain's literature. It also contains some of Twain's most famous quotes, such as, “The classics are books everyone wants read, but nobody wants to read,” and “My books are like water, and greater books are like wine – everyone drinks water.”
Many people unfamiliar with Twain outside of his two or three most popular narratives might be surprised to discover his dark side. As Twain grew older, so too did his dark side grow ever more cynical towards humanity, “The more I get to know mankind, the more I like my dog,” Twain once said. This film captures a fictional and fantastic journey Twain makes to escape the confines of humanity, and retreat, and ultimately die, in the stars above - the last wish of a true American dreamer. While on his mechanical aircraft, Mark Twain and his crew of young misfit characters do battle with his personified dark side, as well as visit various stories authored by the man told in episodic format. It is a journey full of allegory and metaphor, and examines a real person in a fantastic way.
There are two episodes that stand above the rest, but for opposite reasons. One is uplifting and touching, while the other is down right frightening, and very disturbing; both of which perfectly capture the confounding thematic duality of Twain’s life. One of these segments, The Diary of Adam and Eve, is a truly remarkable tale, and it is surprising to see just how convincingly two clay-animated characters can act. This story concerns itself with the fictitious diaries written by Adam and Eve, and how they learned to live with each other in their new world. The last bit of this story shows a very old, and a very much in love couple, totally accepting of one another’s idiosyncrasies. At one point Adam reflects about being kicked out of Eden, but how, now, Eden is wherever Eve is. The complex emotions on display, coupled with the moving score, make this sequence a standout and uplifting moment.
The second segment is the polar opposite of the one mentioned above – it is dark, scary, and very disturbing. This segment is based on Twain’s story entitled The Mysterious Stranger, and depicts Satan as he torments the world. Satan is shown, not as a cloven-hoofed, horned, goat-man, but as a headless suit of crimson armor wearing a white featureless masquerade mask. Satan creates an entire kingdom out of mud, complete with tiny mud-men who worship him, while also fighting over little mud-cows. The dark lord then destroys the mud-men for their inability to live peacefully with one another, and he brings about an earthquake to destroy the kingdom of sand. Ever the cynic, this story could easily be seen as a dark fantasy romanticized by Twain himself, as he dreamed about destroying “those damned humans.”
The film truly is a sight to behold, as it is emotionally moving and visually stunning. While watching newer clay animated films such as The Corpse Bride, it is hard to imagine human hands crafting the figurines, as every thing looks smooth and pristine. In The Adventures of Mark Twain, the fingerprints used to mold the clay figures and backgrounds are clearly visible. So too are the impressions of the carving tools. The filmmakers here embrace the clay as the medium, and accentuate the look of it – that is, they don't try to hide its imperfections, but rather they use the imperfections as part of the aesthetic. There is a very real, very organic feel in the chosen medium, one that adds another surreal layer to a film already bursting with esoteric ideas.
Watching the film again proved to be more than just a pleasant trip down memory lane. I half expected to be mildly amused at the novelty of such a strange curiosity. I did not, however, expect to be fully blown away by both the narrative and the artistry. Will Vinton creates in his masterpiece a wonderfully moving, artistic vision full of creative integrity and technical wizardry. Everything about the film bursts and pops with brilliance. The script perfectly captures the tone of Twain’s writing while maintaining a n engaging narrative, the music accentuates the visuals, and the cinematography conveys the epic scope of the story. Mark Twain was a brilliant and wonderful man, and this film expertly captures, on screen, his persona, wit, and wisdom, both light and dark – even if it is only made of clay.
