After Beardsley (Part 3)

In Part 3 of the film, the ghost of Aubrey Beardsley explores the urban jungle of New York City where, amongst other things, he sees Bob Dylan as a satyr sitting by an iconic 1959 Chevy, and Lenny Bruce being injected with heroin. He is then beckoned by Patti Smith (as Beardsley's Messalina) into a hospital room where he finds himself hooked up to life support equipment. His hospital persona shows his ghost the horrors of the present day - overpopulation, pestilence starvation, and death. Via John Lennon, he sees the horrors of a nuclear winter. The premise of the film is that, if Beardsley had been alive today instead of the 1890s, modern medicine would have kept him alive, but that, having had a glimpse of where the world was heading, he may have chosen to die anyway. Written and drawn by Chris James, after Aubrey Beardsley. Music by Ronnie Fowler.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• aubrey
• beardsley
• animation
• bob
• dylan
• chevy
• lenny
• bruce
• patti
• smith
• john
• lennon
• nuclear
• winter

[DGRossetti1848]

Wonderful to see it again - this film had a deep and profound influence on me when I saw it at the V & A . I attempted to re-create some of the atmosphere in my digital interpretation "The Grange - lost Spaces " my Master's degree project for which I gained a Merit at Birkbeck College on 2001 - I am forever in your debt Chris James.

[faunflynn]

Thank you so very much for posting this, finally seeing it after hearing about it for so many years has made my day.

Beardsley was a big influence on me, in my teens I aped his style relentlessly. Eventually I developed my own.

KUDOS.

[a1exa67]

I'm writing a paper on Aubrey Beardsley, and I found this film in one of the books I'm using for research (Aubrey Beardsley by Stephen Callway). Your film was beautiful and haunting, and your animation stayed true to Beardsley's style - great job!

[hzh27]

You have a fine eye and a talent for drawing which you used to great effect here capturing the essense of the Beardsley style.  Really excellent.

[acermosect]

i am amazed at the way you have beautifully done justice to mr. Beardsley. I am spellbound by how absolute the video is, couldn't have been perfect man. the photograph where he is resting his chin on his palm, i have done a drawing of it. what better person to share it with? let me know.

[lailoken9]

brings tears to my eyes, thanks

[Jojoseahorse]

Beautiful! Love that sexy Patti Smith :) And the music just complements it so perfectly.

[didglesville]

This incredibly evocative series invokes all my emotions, fear, love, hatred, dread ........ giving me goosebumps and making my stomach churn. Genius. Thank you so much.

[bilbalo]

i just saw this! no comment...!

[toycats]

very very interesting!

darkness in his drawing could be charmig.

he is still loved even in japan so badly.

thanks for your posting. i really love it.