![]() Documentary category at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival should encourage other puzzle enthusiasts that regardless of how many of the Toynbee secrets the movie resolves, it will be, indeed, very enjoyable to watch. And the fact that it just took top prize in the U.S. Having personally been interested in this oddity for nearly a decade now, I was ecstatic to hear that a documentary on the subject had been filmed. In addition to all that, the movie is driven by a more universal personal story, which is told beautifully and wraps up nicely." We've made a strong case for who/what/when/where/why/how. Steve Weinik, the film's associate producer and co-star, agrees: "For the first time, really ever, the movie establishes a solid timeline and explains the motivation and ideas behind the tiling campaign. "Yes, we definitely think we are closer," he told me through an email interview, "I'm not going to say that we are ready to close the book, because we are not, but we've come up with some pretty huge and very satisfying finds. They even uncovered a previously unsighted tile placed at a rest stop off Interstate-95.Īfter hundreds of hours of filming and editing, Colin Smith (one of the producers, writers and co-stars of the movie) thinks at least some of the mystery behind the tiles might be elucidated. The research for the film took the documentarians around the United States where they visited about one hundred of the Toynbee sites. In 2005 (five years after meeting Duerr) Foy started a film project about the plaques, and six years later the work was finally complete. Duerr is a well known musician and artist of the Philadelphia underground scene, and with that city being the epicenter of Toynbee activity, he is also an expert on the tiles. Probably the most extensive investigation of the tiles takes the form of the new documentary film, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, by Philadelphia-based filmmakers Justin Duerr, Jon Foy, Colin Smith, and Steve Weinik. ![]() The tiles may have begun to spring up as early as 1980, but even today, over thirty years later, little is known for sure. may have something to do with all of this), and radio personalities. Trying to uncover a motivation for the tiles' existence will quickly lead one down a rabbit hole populated with science fiction writers (Clarke, Bradbury), playwrights (David Mamet's short play 4 A.M. Undoubtedly, I was not the only person to be intrigued by the mystery around this time, for the period from 2002 through 2009 saw an increase in the number of new tiles that appeared far and wide. Louis, etc), I had to satisfy my curiosity with webpage clicks and URL addresses. However, since I lived far away from Philadelphia and the other major cities where these cryptic signs were appearing (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St. I first became aware of the existence of Toynbee Tiles after reading an article on MetaFilter back in 2002. However, despite all of this, no one really knows what the hell is going on. They are written in English (though proper grammar and syntax are often lacking), they are fairly easy to access (if you know where to look), and they have attracted the attention of many puzzle enthusiasts in the age of the all-knowing World Wide Web. Rather, these linoleum plaques which have been embedded in the asphalt roadways of major cities throughout the world for over two decades are a true conundrum of the present day. And it is not giving up its answers easily. It is not trying to get you to by a ticket to an upcoming summer blockbuster. It is not written in an ancient language that few can read. This world-spanning puzzle does not involve a musty old map from a remote archeological find. The existence of the "Toynbee Tiles" might be just such a mystery. Throw in the fact that most puzzle memes, alternate reality games, and online mysteries invariably end up just being marketing campaigns for soon to be released (and too often forgotten) films or television series, and one begins to wonder if any modern day, genuine mysteries truly are left. As a professional puzzle designer and follower of puzzle hunts, I have personally witnessed how drastically the connectivity and community of the internet, the power of Google, and the sheer volume of information readily available to all makes the solving of many brainteasers almost trivial. ![]() Though these modern days of the 21st century are filled with many puzzles, there seem to be few true mysteries anymore. Documentary Competition Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and so we asked puzzlemaker Eric Harshbarger to give us a look at the mystery behind the tiles.* The film Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles* just won the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |