Fast Film (2003) by Virgil Widrich - Review

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by Virgil Widrich

grade: 8

Fast Film. “Almost a film”. So Virgil Widrich wanted to call this precious little work of his. And more than a true declaration of love to film history and, more generally, to the world of the seventh art itself, this short film represents one of the many forms that cinema can assume, thanks to a sophisticated work in which stop motion and computer graphics coexist in harmony.

Revisited classics

Among the most courageous, versatile and visionary filmmakers of contemporary Austrian cinema is certainly Virgil Widrich. Director, film producer, video maker, active in the field for many years now, Widrich has distinguished himself in the past for several experimental short films, in which, through successful stop-motion animation, collage and mixed techniques, small, visually magnetic works were created. And while the most famous of them all is probably Copy Shop (made in 2001), Fast Film caught the attention of audiences and press alike in 2003 and also won several international awards.

As any good filmmaker, Virgil Widrich is also a passionate cinephile. What better idea, then, than to pay homage to the great cinema of the past, creating something completely new and personal? Soon said. A man and a woman kiss passionately. Suddenly, however, the woman is kidnapped and the man does everything he can to save her. Thus begins a series of thrilling chases, complete with old locomotives speeding down the tracks, shoot-outs and explosions. Until, of course, a welcome happy ending.

A simple story, this one, which, however, required a process that was anything but quick and easy. Drawing on a rich archive material comprising approximately three hundred films, Virgil Widrich created successful stop-motion animations, giving life to origami-like figures, duly folded and photographed by the camera, showing short extracts from classics of the past. The protagonists, from time to time, change their features and take on the guise of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Cary Grant, Buster Keaton, Grace Kelly and so on. In short, a short ensemble movie, which sees its greatest peculiarities in its narrative linearity and its visionary visual approach.

Fast Film. “Almost a film”. So Virgil Widrich wanted to call this precious little work of his. And more than a true declaration of love to film history and, more generally, to the world of the seventh art itself, this short film represents one of the many forms that cinema can take, based on a sophisticated process in which stop motion and computer graphics coexist in harmony. A film where there is no need for dialogue, except, of course, for the short extracts from the feature films mentioned, but where sounds play an equally important role. An adrenaline-fuelled film, where meticulous editing leaves nothing to chance and where bright colours provide the perfect background for the previously realised origami.

If, then, Copy Shop had in its time revealed the great talent of Virgil Widrich, Fast Film is a further confirmation of it. And it stands as a real gem within Austrian cinema, which has always made avant-garde film one of its strong points.