A young peasant embarks on a quest to free his mother’s soul from purgatory and save three princesses from a host of hydra-headed dragons in this alternately lyrical and rousing medieval-set adventure based on Czech fairy tales.
Preceded by:
Song of the Prairie (Arie prerie)
Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1949, 20 min., no dialogue
One of Trnka’s most delightfully silly efforts is a slapstick spoof of John Ford’s Stagecoach and Hollywood singing cowboy Westerns, based on a popular novel by Jiří Brdečka, who would later direct his own adaptation, the cult favorite Lemonade Joe.
FAMILY FRIENDLY PROGRAM
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.
