Aloud

Aloud

1983 · 6 min · ★ 7.0 · Animation

Canadian poet Earle Birney indulges his love of trains in this performance of his sound poem To Swindon from London by Britrail. In fluent "trainish," he interprets the experience of excursions by rail. Imagination sparked by the rhythm of wheels and the clink of couplings, Birney hums, hisses and hoots his way through archival footage of vintage trains and the English countryside. A must for language, animation and train buffs.

Directed by Donald McWilliams · Written by Earle Birney

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

35m together

Both from Donald McWilliams.

More from Donald McWilliamsSee all →

Beyond PaperBeyond Paper · 2022
Beyond Paper
8.02022
MovieDocumentary
At a critical moment in the history of the written word, as humanity’s archives migrate to the cloud, one filmmaker goes on a journey around the globe to better understand how she can preserve her own Romanian and Armenian heritage, as well as our collective memory. Blending the intellectual with the poetic, she embarks on a personal quest with universal resonance, navigating the continuum between paper and digital—and reminding us that human knowledge is above all an affair of the soul and the spirit.
Sunrise Over Tiananmen SquareSunrise Over Tiananmen Square · 1998
Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square
6.91998
MovieDocumentaryAnimation
This film illustrates the life of the film director, Shui-Bo Wang in The People's Republic of China. We learn of the life of the director in his own words and images from a child steeped in the values of Chinese communism exemplified by Chairman Mao, to a young man striving to live up to those ideals both as an artist and a soldier.
Wild LifeWild Life · 2011
Wild Life
5.92011
MovieAnimationWestern
This Oscar-nominated animated short tells the story of a dapper young remittance man who is sent from England to Alberta to attempt ranching in 1909.
NarcissusNarcissus · 1983
Narcissus
5.71983
Movie
In this short film by Norman McLaren, dancers enact the Greek tragedy of Narcissus, the beautiful youth whose excessive self-love condemned him to a trapped existence. Skilfully merging film, dance and music, the film is a compendium of the techniques McLaren acquired over a lifetime of experimentation.
A Return to MemoryA Return to Memory · 2024
A Return to Memory
2024
MovieDocumentary
When Canada entered World War II, the National Film Board suddenly had an urgent new mission—and hundreds of women stepped forward, helping to create Canadian cinema as we now know it.
A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya ColonyA Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony · 2009
A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony
2009
MovieDocumentary
A look at the Mau Mau Rebellion of the 1950s as experienced by filmmaker Donald McWilliams.
Eleven Moving Moments with Evelyn LambartEleven Moving Moments with Evelyn Lambart · 2017
Eleven Moving Moments with Evelyn Lambart
2017
MovieDocumentary
An instructive compilation about pioneer Ottawa animator Evelyn Lambart, playfully contextualized by filmmaker Donald McWilliams.
Impressions of ChinaImpressions of China
Impressions of China
Movie
This short documentary follows a group of students from Hamilton, Ontario, on a rare three-week “tour” of China in 1972. These teenagers were the first North American students to visit China since 1949, when Mao Tse Tung’s Communists overthrew the Nationalist Government of Chiang Kai-shek.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter