Begone Dull Care

Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart painted, scratched, and marked directly onto film stock for the 1949 NFB short. The abstract images were timed to Oscar Peterson's jazz rather than drawn as conventional characters.

Begone Dull Care runs just under 8 minutes. Its short length fits the structure of a jazz performance, with shifting color, rhythm, and texture carrying the whole film.

The film visualizes music by the Oscar Peterson Trio, with Peterson's piano driving the animation's pace and mood. McLaren worked with Peterson while the music was shaped specifically for the film.

Yes, it was produced at the National Film Board of Canada in 1949. It remains one of the best-known collaborations between Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart.