An Optical Poem (1938): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1938, An Optical Poem is an animation and musik film directed by Oskar Fischinger, running about 7 minutes.

What it’s about. A dance of shapes. A title card tells us this is an experiment in conveying the mental images of music in a visual form. Liszt's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" is the music. The shapes, all two-dimensional, are circles primarily, with some squares and rectangles, and a few triangles. The shapes move rhythmically to the music: receding from view or moving across the screen. Red circles on a blue background; light blue squares; white rectangles. Then, a red background of many circles with a few in the foreground. Red gives way to blue then to white. Shapes reappear as Liszt's themes re-occur. Then, with a few staccato notes and images, it's over.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.8/10, An Optical Poem has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch An Optical Poem page.

If you liked it. Fans of An Optical Poem tend to enjoy Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland, Your Name. - Gestern, heute und für immer, Die letzten Glühwürmchen and Spider-Man: A New Universe.