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No. 2: Message From the Sun

Name: No. 2: Message From the Sun
Director: Harry Smith
Released: 1947
Duration: 2 min

Representation Score

7.0/10

Good

1947

Director

Harry Smith

Runtime

2 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Harry Smith's work disrupts cinematic conventions through abstract sensory experiences rather than identity-driven storytelling. By focusing on hypnotic, psychedelic abstraction, the film avoids traditional demographic representation. While the film does not explicitly represent specific groups, it offers a form of cultural liberation through its connection to jazz and rejection of linear, logic-based structures. Ultimately, the work contributes to progressive media by subverting the standard viewing experience, providing a decentralized, sensory-focused alternative to mainstream narrative structures.

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Category Breakdown

Does No. 2: Message From the Sun have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film is an abstract, hand-painted animation that focuses on visual experimentation rather than character-driven romantic or gender-based narratives.

How does No. 2: Message From the Sun portray gender?

Fair

The film prioritizes color, texture, and light over human figures, avoiding traditional gender hierarchies by not depicting characters.

How racially and ethnically diverse is No. 2: Message From the Sun?

Fair

The work is non-figurative and psychedelic in nature, using stencils and paint instead of human subjects, so it does not engage with racial or ethnic casting.

How does No. 2: Message From the Sun represent religion and culture?

Good

The film challenges Western storytelling traditions by emphasizing sensory experiences and its connection to jazz, suggesting an intersection with cultural norms.

Does No. 2: Message From the Sun include disability representation?

Fair

The film does not depict characters with disabilities and maintains a purely aesthetic and sensory focus.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional, linear Western storytelling through abstract sensory experiences.
Avoids reinforcing traditional gender hierarchies by removing characterization.
Connects with jazz traditions, suggesting a rhythmic and sensory liberation.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of specific identities or character-driven narratives.
Does not engage with racial, ethnic, or disability-based casting due to its non-figurative nature.

Official Synopsis

Hand-painted 35 mm stock photographed in 16 mm, color, 2:15 or 10 min. Initially intended to be screened with and synchronized to Dizzy Gillespie's Algo Bueno. This film "takes place either inside the sun or in... Switzerland" according to Smith. To produce this film he used a technique that involved cutting stickers of the type used to reinforce the holes in 3-ring binder paper. These were applied to 16 mm movie film and used like a stencil. Layers of vaseline and paint were used to color each frame in this manner. The effect is hypnotic, psychedelic and is something like a visual music.

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