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Very Nice, Very Nice

Name: Very Nice, Very Nice
Director: Arthur Lipsett
Released: 1961
Duration: 7 min

Representation Score

4.4/10

Fair

1961

Director

Arthur Lipsett

Runtime

7 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Arthur Lipsett’s avant-garde short functions as a cinematic deconstruction of mid-20th-century industrial life. By utilizing found footage and sound collage, the film disrupts the cohesive facade of modern society to examine urban alienation. While the work lacks traditional demographic representation or character-driven narratives, it excels in its cultural critique. The film's strength lies in its radical subversion of Western industrial norms and its postmodernist approach to systemic chaos. Ultimately, the film prioritizes sensory and psychological fragmentation over social identity. It serves more as a critique of institutional structures than a study of specific human demographics.

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Category Breakdown

Does Very Nice, Very Nice have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not depict any LGBTQ+ identities or romantic orientations. Its experimental montage format avoids character-driven narratives or interpersonal dynamics.

How does Very Nice, Very Nice portray gender?

Limited

The film avoids traditional gender hierarchies by not establishing characters. Human figures serve as rhythmic textures rather than agents of masculinity or femininity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Very Nice, Very Nice?

Fair

The film captures a broad, anonymous spectrum of the urban population through newsreel fragments. It reflects a globalized industrial presence without intentional thematic explorations of race.

How does Very Nice, Very Nice represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film offers a sophisticated critique of capitalist order and modern institutional structures. It uses a cut-up technique to highlight the emptiness of industrial society.

Does Very Nice, Very Nice include disability representation?

Fair

There is no specific focus on physical or neurodivergent identities. However, the sensory overload mirrors the experience of navigating a fractured, hyper-stimulated environment.

Present on Screen

Provides a sophisticated deconstruction of capitalist order and modern institutional structures.
Uses innovative montage techniques to challenge traditional Western narratives of stability and progress.
Effectively captures the textures of a diverse, globalized, and industrial human presence.

Limited or Absent

Lacks intentional thematic explorations of specific ethnic identities.
Does not feature character-driven narratives to explore gendered roles or queer identities.
Provides no specific representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Arthur Lipsett's first film is an avant-garde blend of photography and sound. It looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on life and shows anxieties we want to forget. It is made of dozens of pictures that seem familiar, with fragments of speech heard in passing and, between times, a voice saying, "Very nice, very nice." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

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