Lemon (1969 film) facts for kids

Lemon is a short, experimental film from 1969. It was made in America by Hollis Frampton. The film shows a single lemon with the light slowly changing around it. It's a silent film, meaning there is no sound.

What Happens in the Film?

The lemon, covered by shadow, against a black background

Lemon focuses on one lemon that stays in the same spot. The lighting around the lemon changes throughout the film. At the start, the bright yellow lemon appears against a dark background. One end of the lemon sticks out on the right side.

As the light gets brighter, you can see more of the lemon. Then, the left side of the lemon slowly gets covered in shadow. Soon, only the outline of the right side of the lemon is visible.

After a short moment where the screen goes completely black, a light appears from behind the lemon. This makes the lemon look like a dark shape against a blue background. The film ends with a special message from the filmmaker.

How the Film Was Made

Hollis Frampton spent a long time choosing the perfect lemon for his film. He wanted one that looked just right. A store manager watched him, a bit confused, as Frampton picked out several lemons.

Frampton used a special camera called a Bolex to film Lemon. To make sure the light stayed the same distance, he tied it to a tight wire. He filmed at a faster speed than normal. He also moved the light by hand. After each short part he filmed, he had to rewind the camera. Then he moved the light back a little for the next shot.

The film looks like one continuous shot. But Frampton actually joined five different shots together. He used a special film trick called a dissolve. This makes one shot slowly blend into the next.

Lemon is dedicated to an artist named Robert Huot. Frampton had talked with Huot about a famous book called Ulysses by James Joyce. They discussed how some words in the book appeared only once. The word lemon was one of these words. Huot, being a painter, thought that maybe Joyce started with these unique words and then built the story around them. Frampton thought of Lemon as a film that was like a painting. So, he dedicated it to Huot. He remembered Huot's idea about how artists create their work.

Film Release and Impact

Lemon was a successful film for Frampton. It didn't cost much money to make. A film reviewer named Fred Camper called it "elegant and humorous." He compared the changing lights in the film to the different phases of the moon.

Lemon has become one of Hollis Frampton's most well-known films. In 2012, you could buy Lemon to watch at home. It was part of a special collection of Frampton's films called A Hollis Frampton Odyssey.

Another artist, Simon Martin, has used Lemon in his own art. In 2010, he made a digital animation called Untitled. It was a new version of Frampton's Lemon. Martin also made a piece called "Lemon 03 Generations (Turn It Around version)." For this, he projected Lemon but changed it digitally. This made the image quality look different on purpose.