← ← Back
Movie poster: 21-87 (1963)
🎬 Movie

21-87

1963 · 10 min Documentary
6.7 / 10 · TMDB

This short film from Arthur Lipsett is an abstract collage of snippets from discarded footage found by Lipsett in the editing room of the National Film Board (where he worked as an animator), combined with his own black and white 16mm footage shot on the streets of Montreal and New York City, among other locations. A commentary on a machine-dominated society, it is often cited as an influence on George Lucas's Star Wars and his conceptualization of "The Force."

Watch online

Click to play

📋 Film Details

Year 1963
Country Canada
Genre Documentary
Director Arthur Lipsett
Runtime 10 min.
Rating TMDB: 6.7/10 (29 votes)

📺 Where to Watch

Checking availability...

🎬 MovieFinder's Take

Arthur Lipsett constructs a cinematic palimpsest from discarded film trims and his own street footage. He relies on a rapid, associative montage to explore the tension between human spontaneity and the cold rhythm of the machine age.

What lingers after the final frame is a profound sense of unease about modernity. The film’s hypnotic, fragmented pulse feels eerily prescient, its influence quietly echoing in later cinematic revolutions. — MovieFinder Editorial

Director: Arthur Lipsett

🕯️

Best Watched

Watch in darkness with headphones to fully absorb the dense audio-visual collage.

🎭 Cast

🎬 Similar Movies

💬 Audience Reviews

Write a Review

Quick rating — tap to vote:

Or write a full review:

0/2000