Tolerantia: a plea for religious tolerance and diplomacy over war
Ivan Ramadan, “Tolerantia” (2008) An animated 3D short made in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2008, “Tolerantia” is a plea for religious tolerance. Set at the end of the…
Eastern European Films
Reviews of films from Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and countries that used to be the old Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia).
Eastern European Films, North American Films
The Forgiveness of Blood: psychological drama of two teenagers caught between rapid modernisation and age-old traditions
Joshua Marston, “The Forgiveness of Blood / Falja e Gjakut” (2010) Hard to believe that even in Europe there are societies where the very new and…
The Changing of the Guard: how love conquers social class and restrictions
Wlodzimierz Haupe and Halina Bielinska, “The Changing of the Guard / Zmiana warty” (1958) A simply made stop-motion animation piece, this little film is a tragic…
Once Upon a Time (dir. Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica): an oddball pair trying to find their identity and place in an abstract world
Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica, “Once Upon a Time / Byl sobie raz” (1957) An amusing little cartoon with a circus freak-show organ music soundtrack, “Once…
The Adventure of a Good Citizen: a plea for tolerance, celebration of eccentricity and relating to the world in new ways
Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, “The Adventure of a Good Citizen / Przygoda czlowieka poczciwego” (1937) Experimental film-making got off to an early start in Poland in…
The Eye and the Ear: an assertion of Polish rebirth in an abstract and experimental short film after years of war
Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, “The Eye and the Ear / Oko i Ucho” (1944 / 1945) Abstract and experimental animation has a long and illustrious history…
Tango: cycle of life with 36 disconnected characters from young to old playing out in one room
Zbigniew Rybczinski, “Tango” (1981) Winner of the 1981 Oscar for Best Animated Short, this 8-minute film is a collection of live-action film clips, all of which…
Reflections: original and beautiful use of black-and-white animation to illustrate a cosmic joke
Jerzy Kucia, “Reflections / Refleksy” (1979) Black-and-white animation has never been used so well as in this little film about the slings and arrows of outrageous…
The Banquet: a much loved cartoon with wry gallows humour
Zofia Oraczewska, “The Banquet / Bankiet” (1976) Its style seems outdated for a short animation of its vintage but I believe this is still a much…
Ichthys: a caustic commentary on institutional religion
Marek Skrobecki, “Ichthys” (2005) For once I didn’t need to look up an English translation for the title of this Polish animation short which uses animated…