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Very Nice, Very Nice
Arthur’s first film began as an audio collage of music, sounds and voices. Various clips were taken from discarded sound tape from NFB films. For instance, the voice of Stanley Jackson, that says “And the more determined among us are doing something about it!” was originally part of a documentary entitled I Was A 90lb Weakling. The voice that says “Very nice, (clap clap clap) Very nice” was Arthur’s own recording of himself. Similarly, much of the imagery in the film was captured by Arthur, while other images may have been gleaned from NFB outs and others clipped from magazines.
The film consists almost entirely of still images, however, Arthur’s playful and creative treatment of those actualities gives the viewer the impression that they have just watched moving images. In fact they have; the images are still but in the film they dance, play and coexist within the simulacra of Lipsett’s vision. Many of the photographs were taken by the artist on his trips to New York city and Paris. The film was nominated for an Oscar in 1962 and also won prizes at other festivals such as Tours in France.
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