'American Pop' (fragmento) - 1981- Ralph Bakshi

[booj]

Benny was awesome because it feels like he knew his character was part of a bigger story. He accepted the world around him for what it was and never tried to fight the tide of life. This is what made him seem more one-dimensional and boring than the other characters, but to me it makes him more meditative. He doesn’t experience the same pratfalls of life that the other characters face, there’s no apex to his story because he didn’t fight the world around him, just lived in it and accepted it. Beautiful.

[creekandseminole]

I'd say almost all of Ralph Bakshi's movies are underrated. He was pigeonholed as just a guy making dirty adult cartoons because of Fritz the Cat but immediately after he gained fame from that he went off and did his own work and made some remarkable films. Not all are great and not all are nice to look at, but they feel "real" in a sense.

I think what captivates me the most is how focused he was on portraying the outsiders and lowlifes of the world. His gritty take on 60's, 70's, and 80's New York is memorizing. When I visited NYC back in 2008 it certainly was not like that anymore...

[Protoman]

The way he stops playing the piano at 1:46 and his neutral expression is unforgettable. He knew he was going to die, but gave zero shits about it. Made Benny Belinsky's death all the more haunting.

Hell...listen to how he plays the song...basically the lyrics being cut off at the 4th line really does signify, if one's already listened to Lili Marlene.

"Outside the barracks, by the corner light

I'll always stand and wait for you at night

We will create a world for two

I'll wait--"

He created a world for two...but not in that lifetime.

[laurabeane]

I saw this when I was 9. [This] is the scariest scene in my life. Quentin Tarantino has nothing on a man being vulnerable and shooting some-one anyway.

[rosskerr]

You can see it on that Nazi’s face… the music touched his soul and reminded him of his humanity, before he killed him.

[wkeeble]

Man Benny is calm in every when his mom was

[lifes]

The german enjoyed the piano as an escape from war, but realized he had to go back to reality and do what he had to do. Would have been cool if they made the German walk away because he appreciated the music. In war, people become monsters but in peace, people are artisans.

[EPWillard]

Recognizing death, he decides to meet it with a gesture of kindness.

[bemiatto]

Benny was my favorite character in the family. I was so sad when he died 😭

[EhCanadianGamer]

I remember a close friend of mine introducing me to this film, and when this happened. 1:23
And as he started playing a tune for the man about to shoot him he said "The balls on this man".

[helbent]

Very beautiful. It looks a little funny, the way the "German" was rotoscoped from someone carrying a BAR and wearing an American helmet. And in war, in situations like these both soldiers would kind of wordlessly agree to go their separate ways, especially if they make a human connection of some kind. Like, "not today, but if I see you tomorrow..."

[otakusamsay]

I remember I found this VHS in my parents' collection this really wasnt their type of movie and I don't know why they had it. I was about 10-11 when i popped it in because i thought the cover was so cool and was absolutely blown away by the movie and its beauty and also how gritty it was. One of my first adult animation experiences. The only ones I ever caught on HBO, Starz, Cinemax etc were Heavy Metal, Fritz The Cat, Cool World and American Pop. I was far too young to understand them and honestly I just loved the depiction of nudity and women(my god, the Heavy Metal redhead chick that hooks up with the robot on the spaceship) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but as I grew older and rewatched them I fell in love with the stories. This scene in particular stuck with me because the guy just died like an innocent lamb he didnt fight he just wanted to play his piano. Honestly I was hoping he'd turn around and open fire on the German but no, he just played a tune for him and was blasted. I remember being shocked and sad at that moment but as the movie progressed I learned what it was all about.

[harryguts]

probably my favourite movie scene ever

[OrbitOnceAround]

I remember watching this as a kid on a local TV thinking it was a kids cartoon, and boy did it leave an impact on me.

[terminado]

“Lo que el mundo necesita
son más músicos y menos soldados,
mas instrumentos y menos armas;
que la música sea el alimento del alma"...
-Raúl Merlos. es perfecto...

[mikaelal.gavaletz]

Rick Singer is the actor who played Benny. The actors were filmed then “rotoscoped” or traced. Walt Disney employed the same technique decades earlier for fluid movements of the characters. Ron Thompson played duel roles as Tony and Pete. Excellent acting for this feature!

[charitysghost]

One of my favorite movies of all time.
Highly recommended.

[pieropurich]

Beatiful film, my favourite animation movie ever. This scene is the more touching. Benny playing Lili Marlene just a moment before dying is carved forever in my memory and in my hearth since 1981, when I saw this movie at the cinema.

[Pulpomolcagetero]

Te pueden matar pero no pueden destruir ese anelo por crear o producir belleza.

[josephcalabrese]

YouTube started recommending these movie shots after I started tenting the movie. Neat. When the rental expires, I get to review the scenes here and there.