Mary Ellen Bute, is one of filmmaking’s most important pioneers both in
her creation of abstract animation in the 1930s and her experimentation
with electronic imagery in the 1950s. Her innovations with abstract
form and impressionistic use of color combined with music has
influenced generations of filmmakers.
These four shorts were quite popular, which is unusual for avant-garde
works. They premiered at Radio City Music Hall and played at the Paris
Theater and other New York venues.
Tarantella, Imagination, New Sensations in Sounds was added to the National Film Registry in 2010
