The
Halas&Batchelor Collection
Vivien Halas
Awards
History
Joy Batchelor
Awards text here
After the war, John and Joy made their first self-sponsored film, Magic Canvas 1948. It was a response to their war years, graphically illustrating man’s struggle for freedom. Matyas Seiber, a fellow Hungarian émigré, composed the original score for the film as well as the music for Animal Farm. This was followed by a joint project with the BFI for the Festival of Britain, the Poet and Painter series 1951, and then one of the first stereoscopic films in 3D, The Owl and the Pussycat 1952, based on the nonsense poem by Edward Lear. The following year came The Figurehead 1953, from the poem by Crosbie Garston. Matyas Seiber composed the music for all these films and many more until his tragic death in 1960.
The studio continued to make personal satirical statements whenever possible. These included award winning films such as History of the Cinema 1957, a satire based on the film industry, Automania 2000 1963, a prophetic look the fruits of over production, and Dilemma 1981, a film about the use and misuse of man’s skills.
Experimental, art and personal films
1948
1952
1952
1948