Trnka’s bewitching adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic fairy tale, a masterpiece of surpassing, balletic beauty that plays out amidst a garlanded, pastel dreamscape.
Preceded by:
Why UNESCO? (Proč UNESCO?)
Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1958, 10 min., Czech w/ English subtitles
Commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (which considered Disney for the assignment before settling on Trnka), this cartoon short employs strikingly simple animation to make the case that all of humanity is enriched by tearing down the walls that separate us.
The touring retrospective THE PUPPET MASTER: THE COMPLETE JIŘÍ TRNKA is produced by Comeback Company, originated at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Curated by Irena Kovarova. Films provided by the Czech National Film Archive. Image Courtesy of Czech National Film Archive.
