The Hand
Jiri Trnka
Czech 1965, 17’00
Regarded by many as the finest puppet
film ever made by one of the great masters of the form. A film which
brings home the subtle horrors of restrained creativity and freedom
denied.
Pygmalion
Arnold Burovs
Latvia 1967, 9’45
An absolute treat for the eyes –
a modernist feast of colourful, moving characters and scenery.
Balance
Christoph Lauenstein, Wolfgang Lauenstein
Germany 1989, 8’00
One of the best known and most loved puppet films of all time. ‘Balance’
opens with a collection of characters simply standing on a platform
mysteriously hanging in mid air. Any movement from one character
immediately impacts on the precarious balance of the platform. This
apparently simple premise masks a film filled with genuine suspense
and a real sense of ‘weight’ and gravity.
Kataku (The House In Flames)
Kihachiro Kawamoto
Japan 1979, 17’00
Originally trained by Trnka, Kawamoto
is regarded as one of the true greats of Japanese puppet animation
mixing Trnka’s style with Japanese Noh masks and Banraku puppets.
A monument to understated grace, Kataku tells the story of young
Japanese woman who chooses death over the attentions of two suitors.
The Philips Broadcast Of 1938
George Pal
Holland 1938, 9’30
Pal created the iconic Puppetoons series
much beloved by generations. His inclusion in this program was a
must but choosing just one film was a near impossible task. We selected
this one because of its incredible integration of music, dance and
for its sheer visual scale.
Smoked Sprat Baking In The Sun
Mati Kutt
Estonia 1992, 22’00
One of the great puppet animation studios, Nukufilm, is celebrating
its 50th anniversary and we are pleased to close this Icons program
with the film they themselves chose – they simply described
it as “richful”.
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