Ah Pook Is Here

Ah Pook Is Here

A gritty, trippy and deeply political stop motion animation by Philip Hunt, using a recording of William S Burroughs reading his poem Ah Pook The Destroyer, taken from the record Dead City Radio (1990). The music was done by John Cale, and the recording includes Burroughs singing Falling In Love Again in german, "Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Eingestellt" , (made famous by Marlene Deitrich in the 1930s), over the end titles. AH POOK got Ten international film awards, and was voted 'BEST OF THE BEST' at the 2010 Stuttgart International Trickfilm festival.

The dominating element in this animation is the dialogue, which leads the visuals and the sound. The sound effects at the start include static and radio noise, the beep of the start of the film. The screen shows stars in space. A distant ominous timpani is heard, foreshadowing the quotation to come. The narrator's voice states over the timpani hits:

“When I become Death,

Death is the seed from which I grow”

As we approach a circle/tunnel of lines, through floating alphabet characters and numbers, the rushing sound increases in volume, and after we enter, darkness is light, the stars are dark, and silence is heard.

We fly towards a small planet with stick-like trees, and a single orbiting moon. A beep, and the music gets louder as we approach. A burst of static, and the narrator's voice starts again. The music is reassuring, yet strange against the disturbing visuals and dialogue. Plucked strings in a regular rhythm, it's like thinking music, which suits the mental state I have watching this film.

I listen to the list of Mayan gods, which is deceivingly calming. A listing of the forces at play in the world, and questioning Ah Pook, questioning war and death, and American imperialism.

I am thinking of Hiroshima, of war and control, of death and the rationale behind war.

I think of why death needs time.

The string music continues until the character goes underground, where the music stops, to be replaced by harpsichord, baroque style. This music continues while the narrator talks of the decision makers on the planet, weak and ignorant.

The final song comes after the character has killed himself. It is a love song, plaintive, sad, slightly lost.

The music and sound effects support well the visuals and the dialogue, they are not distracting or demanding attention in themselves. They are minimal and effective. They leave space to watch, think, feel and respond to the film in our own way.