Hippodrome Hardware1973

Also available in a 1980 version, 25-1/2 min. ... I've always been interested in the theatre, and I was always fascinated that the biggest theatre that there ever was in New York was called the Hippodrome. And in the Hippodrome they put these enormuous works on that were almost avant-garde because they were so big - they had horses charging in; really crazy stuff... And the 'hardware' in my title can refer to the mechanics of the theatre as opposed to the software. To me it's like a very strong metaphysical quality in theatre, this creaky thing: trying to make these inanimate things work, and the size and so forth involved. Plus the film is about people like carpenters building things, which uses hardware. There are different plays back and forth on the title.–R. G., Interview in Cantrills Filmnotes. "HIPPODROME HARDWARE is based on a performance piece presided over by the antic Mr. Ruckus (played by Red Grooms) featuring a crew of klutzy carpenters whose job is to build a house for Mr. Ruckus' witchy mother. Combining live action and animation, the film is a unique blending of the beautiful and the vulgar, the innocent and the sharp-edged." The American Federation of the Arts