# animate! › Films › An Anatomy of Melancholy by Jo Ann Kaplan › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/anatomyofmelancholy/all

Discovery terms: 2000s animation, hand-drawn animation, the body, mortality, melancholy, poetry film, filmmaker, film editor

The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata.

Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed.

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**An Anatomy of Melancholy** a film by Jo Ann Kaplan

2000, 13 min 03 sec

![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy04.jpg)

### animate! synopsis

Drawing on despair, sketching the skeleton. Mortality marks. From Keats to Robert Burton, a major body of woe is made. Light is not the only thing that is passing.

### long synopsis

**An Anatomy of Melancholy** is a cinematic meditation on mortality which takes the form of a special anatomy book – one in the process of being made.

As hand-drawn illustrations appear slowly and painfully on the pages of the book, showing us parts of a dissected human body, we witness both the act of creation and a testament to our own passing.

Accompanying the simple but powerful images of the human body, we hear the words of Keats’ *Ode on Melancholy*:

“Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine…”

### key credits

**director**
Jo Ann Kaplan

**John Keat's Ode on Melancholy read by**
Fayida Jailler

**director of photography**
Hugh Gordon

**animation**
Jo Ann Kaplan

**composer**
Thom Willems

**producer**
Dick Arnall

**production company**

### Jo Ann Kaplan

### a film by Jo Ann Kaplan

### direction

**director**
Jo Ann Kaplan

### based upon

**actual credit**
based upon

**title of original material**
The Anatomy of Melancholy

**author**
Robert Burton

**type of adapted source material**
anatomy book

### voice-over

**John Keat's Ode on Melancholy read by**
Fayida Jailler

### live-action personnel

**director of photography**
Hugh Gordon

### image personnel

**animation**
Jo Ann Kaplan

**visual effects**
Mark Holden

**telecine operator or colourist**
Max Horton
Mark Horrobin

### sound personnel

**composer**
Thom Willems

### production personnel

**post production producer**
Julia Wigginton, The Moving Picture Company

**producer**
Dick Arnall, Finetake Productions

**production company**
Finetake Productions

### support

**primary funding**
Funded by the Arts Council of England and Channel Four

© Jo Ann Kaplan 2000

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy01.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy02.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy02.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy03.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy03.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy04.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy04.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy05.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy05.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy06.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy06.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy07.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy07.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy08.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy08.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy09.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy09.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy10.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy10.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy11.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy11.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy12.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy12.jpg)

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[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy13.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy13.jpg)

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[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy14.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy14.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy15.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy15.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy16.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy16.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy17.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy17.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy18.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy18.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy19.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy19.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy20.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy20.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy21.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy21.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy22.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy22.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![An Anatomy of Melancholy, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/anatomyofmelancholy23.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/anatomyofmelancholy23.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

### master copy format

**format**
DigiBeta

**colour or black & white**
colour

### video distribution format

**video format**
BetaSP

**screen aspect ratio**
4:3

**video standard**
PAL

**sound type**
stereo

### distributor

LUX
[info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk)
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
[www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/)

**An Anatomy of Melancholy** film, stills and other materials © Jo Ann Kaplan 2000