The Red and the Black / The Horse: two little oil paintings in continuous motion
Witold Giersz, “The Red and the Black / Czorwane i Czarne” (1963) / “The Horse / Kon” (1967) I was held spellbound by these two very…
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).
Son (dir. Ryszard Czekala): a solid, powerful short about rural-urban and generational division
Ryszard Czekala, “Son / Syn” (1970) This short silent animation piece is one that Polish animator Ryszard Czekala is best known for and it’s easy to…
Little Black Riding Hood / The Walls: two very different early shorts by Piotr Dumala
Piotr Dumala, “Little Black Riding Hood / Czarny Kapturek” (1983) Piotr Dumala, “The Walls / Sciany” (1988) Based on the familiar childhood story but rendered in…
Little Mole in the City: gentle satire poking fun at human nature and Western technocratic society
Zdenek Miler, “Little Mole in the City / Der Maulwurf kommt in die Stadt / Kiskavond a varosban / Kurmiukas mieste” (1982) Another charming half-hour adventure…
The Mole and the Eagle: inventive and heart-warming episode about friendship, love and happiness
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole and the Eagle / Kiskavond es a sas” (1992) Yet another delightful episode from the Little Mole / Krtecek series and moreover…
The Mole and the Medicine: heart-warming film about a resourceful and fearless little hero
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole and the Medicine / Krtek a medicina / Kiskavond es a gyogyszer” (1987) Found on Youtube under its Hungarian title, this episode…
The Mole and the Matchbox / Der Maulwurf und die Geburt: how Krtecek makes creative multi-tasking look so easy and tidy
Zdenek Miler, “Krtek a zapalky / The Mole and the Matchbox” (1974) Zdenek Miler, “Der Maulwurf und die Geburt / Krot i Rody” (1990s?) I can’t…
Krtek the Multi-talented Mole tries different occupations in near-abstract / experimental shorts
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole as a Chemist / The Mole as Painter / The Mole as Photographer / The Mole as Watchmaker” (1972 – 1975) By…
The Mole and the Robot / The Mole and the Rocket / The Mole as a Gardener: lessons in co-operation for little people
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole and the Robot”(1995) / “The Mole and the Rocket” (1966) / “The Mole as a Gardener” (1969) Let’s turn to a 5-minute…
The Mole in a Dream: children’s animation short verges on surreal and sci-fi / apocalyptic
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole in a Dream / Krtek ve Snu” (1985) Another film episode in the life of Krtek the Mole and this one’s a…