Sounds, Images

Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974)

Odd stuff, that's for sure. Bass directs and composes (visually, rhythmically) according to graphic design principles: color, shape, texture, and rack focus take precedence over performance, pacing, and logic. It's all of a piece with the sci-fi plot (briefly, human hubris vs. the collective intelligence of, uh, alien ants); an anti-humanist style for a proudly anti-humanist film. No characters here, only design elements.