When Edwin A. Abbott wrote the sociological satire (and theoretical physics handbook) “Flatland (A Romance of Many Dimensions)” in 1884…it brought an all-new way to describe theoretical quantum physics using Victorian era sociological satire. The plot involved a one-dimensional world called Flatland where flat geometrical shapes exist (all different depending on gender or status level) who have rigid ideas of society, each gender and other ideals that represented much of the social protocol of the Victorian Era.
The lead character, Arthur Square (and, yes, he’s an actual square), has a dream about a two-dimensional world called Lineland. Later, a three-dimensional sphere with no name visits Flatland (he visits at the end of every millennium to take a new “apostle” with him to learn of higher realms) and takes Square to Spaceland where Square realizes a higher plane of three dimensions actually does exist. With his mind now open to new possibilities–a role reversal happens and Square tries to convince Sphere that there could be many other dimensions beyond the third. Sphere thinks Square is a near-heretic for even thinking such a thing and sends him back to Flatland. While back home, Square then dreams about Sphere taking him to Pointland that was a metaphor for even more rigid thought and the lone monarch there having literally a one-track mind. This helps Square put things in higher perspective about ignorance, and then tries to convince his fellow citizens in Flatland about higher planes of existence. He’s basically branded a heretic by the monarchy and goes to prison for thinking these thoughts…just barely avoiding execution.
This paradigm-shifting story with a dark ending subsequently became a cult classic that’s been read by millions and constantly in print for nearly 125 years. The study of social statuses in the book may be irrelevant today (well, maybe not), but most of its fans from the modern era read it to get a better understanding of multi-dimensions in quantum physics. Even computer scientists have studied it over the last twenty years to gain a better understanding of dimensional space. It was startling that a book written in 1884 could help people visualize the theory and possibility of alternate dimensions in our world. Some books with visual illustrations have been written to help illustrate the ideas Abbott tried to teach. But the movie era has enabled it to get a better visual representation. Slowly evolving movie effects have made the worlds depicted in the book gradually come to life.
It’s amazing an animation studio long before the 60’s didn’t decide to take this on as an animated film. Walt Disney would have been the most daring to take on the subject…even though he apparently had too many other irons in the fire (along with financial problems) during the 40’s. He probably would have considered the plot too sophisticated for audiences from that time too. Nevertheless, the Disney Studio did do a short educational animated short in 1959 utilizing geometric shapes in nature (and Donald Duck) called “Donald in Mathmagic Land.
Perhaps the more sophisticated audiences developing in the 60’s led to “Flatland” finally being done as an 11-minute short animated film in 1965. The producer, John Hubley, had become the first teacher of animation at Harvard University three years earlier. With animator Eric Martin–they set out to finally realize Hubley’s longstanding dream of making an animated film of “Flatland.” In order to make the sociological satire in the script get some bigger laughs, they hired the legendary British comedy troupe “Beyond the Fringe” to do voice work. Some of you may know that Dudley Moore was a part of this comedy group…and he does the voice of A. Square in a hilarious Cockney accent.
This short animated film is still highly regarded today–yet it’s hardly found anywhere on video or DVD. Some websites that sell copies of old educational films sell transferred DVD copies of it. But it’s mostly a lost part of animated history that many will likely never see again in the mainstream. The animation, though, was fairly flat on its own and couldn’t depict the three-dimensional world of Spaceland that CGI could do exponentially better later.
It wasn’t until 1982 when another short animated film of “Flatland” was made. By this time, animation was making some slow inroads into new effects and just beginning to experiment with digital technology. This short film was directed by respected mathematician and author Michele Emmer who was one of the first to employ mathematical concepts into animated films using the computer. This film is highly regarded too…but hard to find. It’s likely both this film and the one with Dudley Moore’s voice work have been screened off old 8mm prints in high school science classes over the years…as a lot of Disney’s educational shorts used to be (including “Donald in Mathmagic Land”).
Two new competing “Flatland” films get released in 2007…
If any time was right for “Flatland” to finally get realized on film–it’s now. Advancements in CGI are obviously off the chain now…so, in a way, this could have been done a few years earlier so people don’t take it for granted. As I say that…it appears that two CGI-animated versions of “Flatland” only received limited releases this year, despite one of them getting rave reviews and a recent cult following.
The one you’d expect to get the biggest release and following was “Flatland: The Movie” featuring a voice cast of well-known celebrities such as Kristen Bell, Martin Sheen and Michael York. Directed by Jeffrey Travis…new screenwriters were brought in to give some slight liberties to the plot that weren’t in the book. Added to the story is a female hexagon named appropriately enough Hex (voice by Kristen Bell) who’s the granddaughter to Arthur Square. He comes to Hex’s rescue when she decides to explore higher dimensions and gets in trouble for her curiosity.
It should be noted that “Flatland: The Movie” probably could have been retitled “Flatland: The Short Subject.” It’s only 30 minutes…and considered an educational film in the vein of the short animated versions done years earlier. The CGI effects are adequate and the voice work is good as you might expect from the cast’s familiar names, but the minimal revisionist take with the granddaughter joining A. Square in going to Spaceland has bothered some. Doing that, though, blasted the outdated plot point in the book that women (shaped like lines) were practically useless. Obviously a P.C. move…but one everybody would agree on when Victorian Era sensibilities are as archaic as the Stone Age.
Another animated film about “Flatland” came out in January 2007. This one (called “Flatland: The Film” to avoid any confusion…and running as a full 95-minute feature this time) has received a lot more attention than any of the previous versions made. It’s also turned heads in the film industry, because it’s a successful film that’s being sold on DVD to individual customers through the director’s website, Amazon.com and his MySpace rather than going through a distributor. Director Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. painstakingly worked for two years on this project utilizing his own computer animation that truly stands alone from Pixar or Dreamworks’ visual style. Critics have raved about some of the complex digital sequences in the film…especially the ones depicting the higher realms of dimensional space. The voice work in the film consists mostly of unknowns. Even so, their work and the film’s music score are truly unforgettable.
This film also takes a revisionist plot point and places Hex as Arthur Square’s grandson rather than as a granddaughter in the other film. It still focuses on Square’s epiphany, however, and mainly stays faithful to the original book…but a much darker and heartbreaking ending. It’s overall a triumph of independent filmmaking for animation–while also being the best version to date (if not the final word) realizing the worlds depicted in “Flatland.” It may be possible for a sequel (or sequels) if you take into account a follow-up book “Sphereland” was written by Dionys Burger in 1965 and “Flatterland” by Ian Stewart in 2001. Numerous other books were written in the modern era as companions to (or to expand on) “Flatland’s” original ideas.
It’s worth your while to check out all of the above-mentioned films, though, if you can find them. In an age where thinking about complex subjects such as higher dimensions may not be typical dinner table fodder–these newer films depicting Edwin Abbott’s ideas can only help heighten a person’s sense of wonder about what could be behind the curtains of our perceived reality…while also exploring the complex sociological/philosophical consequences behind it.
