| Rainbow Dance | |
|---|---|
 Opening titles | |
| Directed by | Len Lye |
| Written by | Len Lye |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Rupert Doone |
| Cinematography | Frank Jones |
| Music by | Rico's Creole Band |
| Distributed by | GPO Film Unit |
Release date |
|
Running time | 4 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Rainbow Dance is a 1936 British animated colour film, directed and written by New Zealand-born animator Len Lye. It was commissioned by the British Post Office, produced by the GPO Film Unit123 and was filmed using the Gasparcolor process.4
Synopsis
A man is holding an umbrella in the rain. Then, he starts dancing, and as he does, the backgrounds completely change. Then, he starts dancing near the ocean, with a woman and fish following. Then, he plays tennis with cel-animated circles as another man watches. A colorful array of shapes follow, and the man sits and thinks, as the shapes come back and images come off the score sheet. The music ends, and a man's voice says: "Post Office Savings Bank puts a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for you", followed by "No deposit is too small for the Post Office Savings Bank".
Cast
- Rupert Doone as dancer
Reception
Len Lye, while using figures in silhouette, is still moving freely in an abstract world of his own imagination.5
Home media
The film is included on the DVD We Live in Two Worlds: The GPO Film Unit Collection Volume 2.6
References
References
- "Rainbow Dance". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- Horrocks, Roger (2001). Len Lye: A Biography. Auckland University Press. pp. 210–217. ISBN 978-1869402471.
- Anthony, Scott; Mansell, James, eds. (2011). The Projection of Britain: A History of the GPO Film Unit. BFI. p. 131. ISBN 978-1844573745.
- Sexton, Jamie. "Rainbow Dance (1936)". screenonline.org.uk. BFI Screen Online. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- The Scotsman - Monday 12 December 1938
- "Rainbow Dance". Sight and Sound. 19 (5): 87. May 2009. ProQuest 1836583.