Norman McLaren was a genius. That's not just my opinion, Picasso thought so too, as did Francois Truffaut. McLaren was an animator and experimental film maker who created works that destroyed the limits of what was thought possible through the medium of film. He would create animations by scratching shapes directly into the film emulsion, or use live models as stop-motion animation props, or create multiple exposures that used dozens of interlocking images. McLaren was the founding director of the National Film Board of Canada's animation division (a post he held for more than 40 years) and under his tutelage the NFB became the place for cutting-edge animation. Along the way hewon an Oscar, a Palm d'Or, and a zillion film festival awards.
The National Film Board has just released a stunning, seven-DVD set of McLaren's work, titled Norman McLaren: The Master's Edition.

Artist Lilah Bloom's life is upended when her widowed brother decides to remarry a strong-willed business woman.

Bruno, Milan lowly chauffeur falls for a perfume saleswoman and stays with her to leave. Eventually, he comes with the car of your employer, caught sneaking, and passes by him to impress the girl. Mariuccia, simple and irreproachable daughter of a taxi driver, yields to the gallantry of the young, who invited her to lunch at an inn on the outskirts. Here, Bruno discovers the wife of his employer and flees, leaving Mariuccia sitting at the table.

In the tradition of O' Brother Where Art Thou and the Irish Waking Ned, and set in a wonderfully photographic, Southamerican environment comes this comedy. Hilarious characters pulling together to make a dream come true, our hero's index finger is the excuse that drives the villagers to discover a murder, turn around the election to the town's mayor, renew their Christian's faith, build new love relationships. In other words wake up the quiet Latin American town of Cerro Colorado. Who knows where these people will get with the help of the magic finger?

Wealthy Nicky finds himself engaged to gold-digger Lady Constance, but he really loves scatty model Diana. Complications, slapstick and mountaineering are the result.

Wells Fargo stages are being robbed by 'The Poet' and no one can find out who he is. Wylie is a gambler who is found by the sheriff and gives him the option of going back to a questionable trial in Carson City or finding 'The Poet' for the stage line. Wylie decides to look for the outlaw and he rides out in the stage with Ann and Emily to Cheyenne. He soon finds that the Sundance gang is waiting for 'The Poet' so he impersonates him and finds that Ann is the wife of the outlaw. Wylie is concerned about the gang, 'The Poet' and Ann.

Áurea arrives at a town in the dunes of State of Maranhão, Brazil, in 1910, having for female company only her mother Maria. She is pregnant and wants a way out of that arid place. But leaving is difficult and, somehow, she still hopes to find happiness there. The film follows these two lives for three generations, including Áurea's daughter.

An Austrian military officer and roue' attempts to seduce the wife of a surgeon. The two men confront each other in a test of abilities that ends surprisingly.

Eugene and Rick are two struggling artists who share apartment. However, Rick has problems with that, because Eugene is obsessed with pulp fiction comic books and has nightmares because of that. However, Rick soon finds that those nightmares could be excellent material for his own comic books.

Justin Long and Emmy Rossum are star-crossed lovers whose relationship blooms and unravels over the course of six years in this mysterious, dazzlingly original romance.

The marshal of Medicine Bend is tired and alone. Tired of killing to keep himself from being killed; alone because of an unspoken past disappointment. The realisation that someone in town is paying to have him killed and the arrival with a show troupe of the special someone from the past coincide to force more than one type of showdown.

The prostitute Liz works on the streets of Los Angeles. She recalls her life in flashback, when she marries an alcoholic man. She leaves him with their son.