H.P. Lovecraft's The Other Gods

The film and its restoration

When Peter Rhodes died, he left behind a collection of artwork and films that his family neither cared for, nor understood. It sat neglected for many years until it was sold off at the Rhodes estate auction in 1953.

Unfortunately, the man who bought Rhodes' artwork (who has requested that his name be kept private) did not realize the significance of his purchase for many decades. It was not until the late nineties, at the urging of his family, that he made inquiries as to its worth.

The original Barzai Puppet

When I visited this collector, he showed me to his "archives," a dusty corner of his cellar. There were several cans of film bearing Rhodes' name. I was esctatic and dismayed all at once.

Several Rhodes films were still intact, but in less than stellar condition. After examining each one, it was decided that "The Other Gods" would be the first to be restored.

"The Other Gods" was scanned, frame by frame, and underwent extensive clean-up over the course of many months. A new soundtrack was commissioned by musician Keith Handy, and the short played at film festivals throughout 2006 and 2007. Plans are underway to release it to DVD in the near future.

Backlight demonstration

Silhouette Animation

Peter Rhodes was inspired to create his own animated shorts after viewing the work of German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger in the early 20s. "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "The Ornament of the Loving Heart" were particular influences. Rhodes would adopt her style of backlighting cut-out characters when shooting his own films.

Discovered along with the film elements of "The Other Gods" was an original puppet of Barzai the Prophet (pictured). See how strong the profile becomes when lit from behind.


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