Video time: The Stop Motion Art of Barry J. C. Purves.

Stop Motion. I'm glad to say that I grew up on stop motion as a kid. I remember relishing the movie The Golden Voyage of Sinbad for its stop motion sequences -- a stone statue of Kali coming to life and dancing, Sinbad's battle with the creature, and the rivetting death match between a cyclopean centaur and a griffin. I cheered for Pegasus and held my breath with Medusa and the Kraken in Clash of the Titans (1981). When I later discovered Operavox, Stop Motion meant the light-hearted, happy-endinged Barber of Seville.

with Rigoletto, however, things were different. Very seriously different.

As the chilling story came to a close, I thought, "Good lord, I didn't know you could also do that with Stop Motion!" Absolutely mind-blowing, it was.

Three years later, I soon discovered who Mr. Barry J. C. Purves was, and the astounding work he'd done through the years.

Sir Will Shakespeare gives a quick run through of his plays for a most unusual audition. Can you identify all of them? I could only recognize fifteen.



A story of two lovers, based on a tale of the Willow pattern. Caveat: Proceed if puppet love does not offend you. Mature audiences welcome.



The tragedy of Achilles as a man, a fighter, and a lover. Caveat: Contains puppet nudity, intimacy, and violence. Mature audiences welcome.



To conclude, an interview with the artist himself on the art of stop motion, puppetry, and story-telling.