An Optical Poem poster

An Optical Poem

1938 7m

AnimationMusic

6.8/10 TMDB Score40 votes · IMDb ↗

A dance of shapes. A title card tells us this is an experiment in conveying the mental images of music in a visual form. Liszt's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" is the music. The shapes, all two-dimensional, are circles primarily, with some squares and rectangles, and a few triangles. The shapes move rhythmically to the music: receding from view or moving across the screen. Red circles on a blue background; light blue squares; white rectangles. Then, a red background of many circles with a few in the foreground. Red gives way to blue then to white. Shapes reappear as Liszt's themes re-occur. Then, with a few staccato notes and images, it's over.

Movie Details

Original titleAn Optical Poem
Release dateMar 5, 1938
StatusReleased
Original languageEN
CountryUnited States of America
Keywordsclassical music, shapes

Ratings

★ 6.8/10

40 votes on TMDB. IMDb ratings are shown on IMDb itself — view this title on IMDb ↗.

Images

FAQ

What is An Optical Poem about?

A dance of shapes. A title card tells us this is an experiment in conveying the mental images of music in a visual form. Liszt's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" is the music. The shapes, all two-dimensional, are circles primarily, with some squares and rectangles, and a few triangles. The shapes move rhythmically to the music: receding from view or moving across the screen. Red circles on a blue background; light blue squares; white rectangles. Then, a red background of many circles with a few in the foreground. Red gives way to blue then to white. Shapes reappear as Liszt's themes re-occur. Then, with a few staccato notes and images, it's over.

When was An Optical Poem released?

An Optical Poem was released on Mar 5, 1938 (status: Released).

Who directed An Optical Poem?

Oskar Fischinger directed An Optical Poem.

What is the TMDB rating of An Optical Poem?

An Optical Poem has a TMDB rating of 6.8/10 from 40 votes.