Today in 1985, a gorgeous animated tribute to a legendary humorist first hit theaters. The Adventures of Mark Twain is a Claymation film directed by the late king of claymation, Will Vinton.
The film features a caricature of Mark Twain as the captain of a flying machine that is also all of his published writing, trying to meet Halley's Comet so they can leave Earth together. However, along the way he finds himself taking care of three of his characters, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher, as they have stowed away on his airship.
I know saying a kids movie is probably a metaphor for death is considered very cliche, but this film is focused on themes of morality, mortality, duality and legacy. Alongside a beautifully metaphorical original framing story, most of Mark Twain stories adapted in this film deal with the nature of life and death. In particular, The famous "The Mysterious Stranger" segment. Also I don't know why but in the "Diaries of Adam and Eve" segment, Adam looks like Jerma to me and I find it distracting.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The death interpretation is supported by the significance of Halley’s Comet in the real Mark Twain’s life. He was born in 1835, a year when the comet was visible from Earth, and declared late in life that he would pass when it returned. Sure enough, Twain died in 1910.]
Ego Excellere Cinema
carrying on like normal as normal can be, huh? I still need to watch this film myself! we know I’m not big on deep philosophical stuff, but you did say it’s a beautiful tribute and I loooove claymation