The Question (1967)

What is a question mark without it’s dot? Well I’m not sure that’s quite why our gent here decides to find out, but he spends the next few minutes taking his quizzical symbol around everyone from the clergy to politicians; from a mad scientist to a solider to a psychiatrist all in the hope that they won’t try to indoctrinate him, or blast him to space, or (over)kill him with an H-bomb! Perhaps the symbol might mean something altogether more benevolent if only he can find the right person to ask. It’s very much in the Halas style of animation this, quickly paced and bombarding us with information as it hurtles along posing as many questions about the meaning of life and it’s purpose as this poor fella wants answering. As to a thread between the cartoons? Well I’m not sure this stands up too well as a contiguous work of animation, but more a collection of short episodes that offer us differing solutions to his question about a question. It’s a curio and worth a watch, but I didn’t love it.