TVSquad

You'll note that I didn't call it a "Muppet short film," because there are no Muppets to be found in the eight-minute short below. It does, however, feature a young Jim Henson. The short, called Time Piece, was nominated for an Oscar in 1966.

Something tells me I would have appreciated this short more when I was in college. Back then I lived for surreal, nonsensical stuff like this: tearing it apart, trying to figure out what it all means. I'd borrow films like this and Un Chien Andalou from the college media center and revel in how different it all was.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fun and kooky piece of work, but I like it more for its introduction into a part of Henson's mind we didn't see much rather than as some profound work of ART. Other folks can discuss the symbolism of Henson's head on a platter and in a toilet, and his recurring plea for help, I just think it's cool and weird.

Fellow Muppet performer Frank Oz also appears in the short, along with the late Jerry Juhl, a writer for The Muppet Show and many other Muppet projects.

[via Lev]