Precious Images (1986) User Reviews

A mesmerising and unforgettable tribute to the power of cinema

[ackstasis · 9/10 · 6 April 2008]

If you were to ask me for the reason why I love cinema so much, it would be difficult to formulate a coherent response. The film medium has the capacity to incite an entire spectrum of indescribable emotions – of joy, of sadness, of fear, of exhilaration – and only a fellow film buff could possibly identify with the awe that accompanies each viewing of '2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)' or the unending delight that is 'Singin' in the Rain (1952).' For one hundred years, American cinema has provided an extraordinary abundance of unforgettable moments, permanently imprinted in our collective memories; never to be forgotten until the day that we die. In 1986, as a tribute to almost a century of film-making, Chuck Workman compiled an eight-minute montage of cinema's most treasured images, definitively tracing almost every notable American motion picture from 'The Great Train Robbery (1903)' to 'A Passage to India (1984).'

The version of 'Precious Images' that I watched, for which IMDb does not have a separate entry, was a 1996 update – "presented to the audiences of America" in honour of the 100th anniversary of film – and it includes extra snippets from such films as 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988),' 'Schindler's List (1993)' and 'Forrest Gump (1994).' All in all, images from more than four hundred films are spliced into the montage, much too many to identify in one go, and so each repeat viewing unveils a dozen more precious memories that you hadn't noticed before. Rather than being a random assortment of images, the film unfolds in various stages, the background music setting a theme to which the film choices must adhere – for example, Gene Kelly's recital of "Singin' in the Rain" is the cue for various classic musicals, and Bernard Herrmann's main theme for 'Psycho (1960)' unleashes a sudden stream of murder and mayhem.

I suppose that only a film buff could properly appreciate the brilliance of 'Precious Images (1986).' Taken as an ordinary montage of related images, there is little that would evoke any genuine emotional response. However, every movie moment that we recognise brings forth a flood of unforgettable memories, almost-forgotten emotions; the magic of the film is momentarily resurrected for us to enjoy once again. At one point in the compilation, Workman switches clips at a rate of several a second, each actor's face flickering in our irises for only an indistinguishable instant, and, on more than one occasion, the associated emotions become almost overwhelming. The film unusually, but not undeservedly, won the 1987 Oscar for Best Short Film, Live Action, and one can only speculate on how many hours must have been dedicated to the production of the montage; not just the physical editing, but also the rights acquisition for each film. 'Precious Images' remains an indelible treasure for all fans of cinema.

An Absolute Beauty

[skin_job · 9/10 · 16 June 2006]

I first saw this incredible short film on the 1986 Oscar broadcast, then again on a local PBS station. I can't think of another short film that delivers more emotional impact and sheer greatness than this one does. Chuck Workman did an excellent job not only finding the best clips from the greatest movies of all time, but then putting them together with the perfect music. A fitting tribute to the power that images and sound have to move and affect the viewer. I was lucky enough to tape this film by accident when it was tacked onto the tail end of another show being shown on PBS. Now I treasure it as one of my prized possessions. It's an absolute beauty for anyone as passionate about the movies as I am.

Where's the original content?

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 September 2008]

I have seen this short film innumerable times, as Turner Classic Movies has used it as a time filler many times over the last decade or two. It consists of gobs of classic film clips all expertly pieced together in a lovely montage on the history of film. It received the Oscar for Best Short Film/Live Action, though I don't think this was a very good choice because the film bore no original content whatsoever--just a very nice job of splicing and setting it all to a rousing musical score. To me, this just seems like a rather cheap and self-serving bit of promotion by the AMPAS people (the folks that pick the Oscars) and would love to have seen something truly original and new win instead--especially since it must be frustrating to your film makers to work so hard on original stories and lose to what seems like a big commercial. Just my two cents worth.

Moved Me To Tears

[domino1003 · 10/10 · 1 October 2004]

I first saw this at the Kabuki when I was working there and watching this just pulled me in. The right kind of music covered the various sections (The main title theme of "Psycho" plays over clips of horror and suspense films). Almost 5 yrs. later, I saw it again, and cried a bit on it. It was just as beautiful then as it was 5 yrs before. I wished that I could get a copy of this! This mini history of the films of Hollywood won a richly deserved Oscar. Where else can you see a short in which it gives you the history of the cinema, from the early, silent beginnings to the the color musical and classic eras to the modern (For 1986, anyway)cinema. Wonderful! If you are fortunate, you gotta catch this!

Precious Images is on DVD !!

[myuschen · 10/10 · 20 May 2017]

I just bought a DVD of this wonderful film.

It cost me $90....and was worth it.

It's the best version I've seen.

I got it from the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York Or available as a rental from here: $35 http://film-makerscoop.com/rentals-sales

Weak.

[djfntstque · 5 September 2005]

Nothing reduces the impact of a great scene like splicing it with a zillion other ones. Most of the clips employed here are from American movies, which is annoying (especially when the filmmaker attempts to pad it down once he reaches the 1980s - are "Risky Business" and "Rocky IV" really on par with "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Rear Window"? Furthermore, the choice of music, while sometimes sly - going from the Clockwork Orange version of the William Tell Overture (for clips from action movies) to the original Gene Kelly version of "Singing In The Rain" (for feel-good clips from musicals) - is often unimaginative. I suppose I'm objecting more to the concept, however, than this particular product, as I've been similarly disgusted with similar shorts shown in conjunction with the AFI and Oscars etc. It just feels like a pasteurization.

Self-congratulatory award

[sashank_kini-1 · 6/10 · 27 August 2011]

I know my opinion would be vehemently refuted if read by the 'die-hard' film buffs, but let me tell you all one thing: I love films as much as you all do.

I remember how mesmerized I was by the effervescence and liveliness of 'Singin in the Rain', moved to tears by the melancholy in 'Sophie's Choice' and 'Kramer vs Kramer', moved and enchanted by the grandiose of 'Gone with the Wind', entertained by 'Beverley Hills Cop', impressed (during subsequent viewings) by 'Psycho', transfixed with amazement by Robert Deniro's performance in 'Taxi Driver', amused by the double role in 'Tootsie', excited by Harrison Ford's electric 'Indiana Jones' series, shocked by 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Carrie' and umimpressed by the overrated 'Rocky', 'Poltergeist' and 'E.T'. Also, I feel the montage shown with appropriate music in the background is a nice tribute. But it does not require an 'Oscar' to prove that its the best, it can be played on the television for everyone to remember their favorite films.

I believe that by honoring this material with an Oscar, one does not award an original film, which I feel rightfully deserves the awards as Oscars should award originality and that's the point of this montage itself. My rating of this tribute: 6/10

1996 version

[KirkLaurelwood · 10/10 · 27 December 2006]

Classic Arts Showcase, a feed of short videos available on many cable channels played the 1996 version of this today. It's fantastic. What a dizzying quiz on all the classic films you've seen!

It's a sequence of hundreds of clips anywhere from 3 seconds down to about 1/4 second, played over a sequence of soundtrack excerpts. All clips are silent except for a few choice ones that have sound.

The subtitle page says, "Presented to the audiences of America in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Film by the Directors Guild of America and your local theatre".

There should be a page for the 19996 version, too.

Has it ever appeared on a DVD or laserdisc?

cinema lives

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 13 February 2023]

Chuck Workman made "Precious Images" for the fiftieth anniversary of the Directors Guild. The Academy Award-winning documentary uses a similar approach as "Koyaanisqatsi", consisting mainly of footage (although here we get some dialogue). In this case, it's scenes from some of the most famous movies.

I saw the 1996 version, so they had added scenes from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Thelma and Louise" and "Philadelphia". One could make the argument that simply showing off movie scenes amounts to glamorization of the stars, but I like seeing all these shots. Of course, I would never include any scenes of John Wayne (who endorsed white supremacy in a Playboy interview) or Tom Cruise (the number one Scientologist).

Very moving. Impossible to look away.

[geohaber · 10/10 · 13 August 2000]

The cinema where I usually see movies has a large lobby with a screen that shows "Precious Images" regularly in addition to previews of upcoming movies. I've watched this film a dozen times and it is always fascinating.

Does anyone know if there is a list of all the movies, (preferably in order), that the clips were taken from?

Collection of (epic) movie clips

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 2 March 2016]

The title "Precious Images" says it all. These 8 minutes we have here that brought director Chuck Workman an Academy Award and certainly his biggest career achievement are a collection of images and scenes from all kinds of other movies. This is probably a good watch for cinephiles, but in terms of art and creation I cannot really give this one a thumbs up. It is really more of a great effort we have here than a great artistic achievement in my opinion. This is also why I am a bit surprised this one won the Oscar, probably just because they liked it as a tribute to movies. Anyway, it has its 30th anniversary this year and that's why I decided to check it out. If you can define every film seen in here, then probably you're the biggest movie watched on this planet. Anyway, all in all I recommend it, but just very cautiously. Not a must-see by any means.

Well executed compilation of mostly iconic moments from film

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 25 March 2014]

This short won the Academy Award for Live Action Short. There will be mild spoilers (if something like this can actually be spoiled):

This is essentially a tribute to the art of film. I won't say it's exhaustive, because there may be a memorable scene or two which weren't represented, but there are few, if any, iconic films or performers who were missed-and I may have missed something by blinking.

None of the clips are all that long and many of them are two seconds or less. The clips are loosely grouped and accompanied by more or less appropriate scoring.

It's incredibly unlikely that this will ever be available commercially. Securing the rights would be virtually impossible, which means it will be a challenge to see. It's worth hunting up.

One last editorial remark: There have been comments about the fact that this won the Academy Award despite simply being a compilation of material from other sources and edited together. This isn't the worst winner for Live Action Short by a long shot. I would also point out that compiling the short effectively is a creative act in and of itself and the short is very good in its own right. Complaining about what won an award is an exercise in futility in any case. This short won the Oscar and will stay the Oscar winner. I doubt the award will be retracted at this date. Precious Images is worth seeing. I wouldn't mind seeing the 1986 and 1996 versions again. Recommended.