There was an animated “Frozen” long before Disney’s hyperpopular version in 2013. Adapted from a tale by Andersen, the film dates from 1957 and is by Lev Atamanov, one of the masters of Russian animation. Outside the borders of what was then called the Soviet Union, this art of animation is little known to the general public, although it constituted, especially between the 1940s and 1990s, a fundamental dimension of the genre.
A very important production with particularities – classic 2D animation, rotoscopy, animated paintings and cut-out papers, use of puppets, etc. – which have notably influenced other schools in the field in the East (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, etc.) and even the whole world.
In theaters this Wednesday, March 27, the program concocted by Malavida Films, a French distributor specializing in heritage films, which brings together two animated short films, “The Fox and the Hare” (1973) by Youri Norstein and “The Antelope of ‘gold’ (1954) by Lev Atamanov, will delight the youngest, and offers a dual point of view on the excellence and technical advances of Russian animation.
Morals and metaphors worthy of La Fontaine
“The Fox and the Hare” is part of the great Russian tradition of animal tales, with morals and metaphors worthy of La Fontaine. Made from cut paper – a technique dear to our national Michel Ocelot – the 13-minute film focuses on a hare who, in the middle of winter, lives in a small cabin that he has difficulty heating, and is mocked by his neighbor, a vixen who lives in an igloo offering excellent insulation.
But when the latter melts in the spring, she goes to squat in the hare’s hut. Having become homeless, the latter will call on various animals from the forest – a wolf, a bear, etc. – to help him get his home back but nothing will cope with the wrath of the cantankerous fox. In the end, only a clever rooster will manage to chase her away, then becoming the hare’s roommate and friend.
Sumptuous, the short film is a real eye-catcher with its painted and cut-out wallpapers that come to life like master paintings. The icing on the cake is that this new VF version calls on French actor Damien Bonnard who performs the voices of the narrator and all the characters in a spirited manner.
The film has another merit: highlighting the work of the legendary Youri Norstein, 82 years old, a patient, inventive and meticulous filmmaker who took his time to perfect his work: six films – including the very renowned “Tale of Tales” ( 1979) – in forty years, which represent, if we put them end to end, less than two hours of film.
A 1954 film made with rotoscope
The filmography of Lev Atamanov (1905-1981) is much more substantial, and extends from 1930 to 1980. “The Golden Antelope” offers, for 44 minutes, a prime overview of his production. A fairy tale set in Rajasthan at the time of the Arabian Nights, the film tells the story of a venal maharaja’s obsession with a magical antelope which, every time it snorts, expels a shower of gold coins.
Wishing to capture the animal, the sovereign will be hampered in his plans by a kid who lives in the heart of the jungle: friend of animals, even the most wild and ferocious, he protects them and shows himself capable of communicating with them.
The film is made using rotoscoping, a grueling technique used in particular by Walt Disney for “Snow White”, and a magnificent illustration of which can be seen in theaters since March 20 with the feature film “The Girl and the Peasants” by DK and Hugh Welchman. Challenging because it involves first filming the scenes in real images, before redrawing them frame by frame.
Which takes a lot of time and offers very great fluidity in the movements: while the film dates from 1954, it does not suffer from this jerky animation characteristic of works of the period
For the rest, this short film, like that of Youri Norstein, opens the minds of spectators of all ages to poetry and wonder: nothing but happiness…