A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
French and French-language Films
Jean Vigo, “Zéro de Conduite: Jeunes Diables au College” (1933) One of four films made by French director Jean Vigo before his life was cut short…
D Zyuz’kov, Natalia Yurchenko documentary (1984) A curious little 20-minute gem on Youtube, this Soviet television documentary about the gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, made about the time…
Piotr Dumala, “Little Black Riding Hood / Czarny Kapturek” (1983) Piotr Dumala, “The Walls / Sciany” (1988) Based on the familiar childhood story but rendered in…
Koji Yamamura, “Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor / Franz Kafka: Ein Landartz / Kafuka: Inaka Isha” (2007) Excellent if rather visually grotesque animated short film based…
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole as a Chemist / The Mole as Painter / The Mole as Photographer / The Mole as Watchmaker” (1972 – 1975) By…
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…
Mirdza Zivere, “Sed uz sliekšna pasacina” (1987) Made for Latvian-language television in the Soviet Union in 1987, this very pretty and surreal animated short has some…
Robert Breer,”Fuji” (1974) An interesting short of a train trip taken through the Japanese countryside with Mount Fuji dominating the rice-fields and towns along the way,…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Priit Pärn and Kulno Luhts, “Harjutusi iseseisvaks eluks / Exercises in Preparation for Independent Life” (1980) In typically insouciant style, animator Priit Pärn serves up another short…
Priit Pärn and Hille Kusk, “Aeg Maha / Time Out” (1984) “Aeg Maha” is animator Priit Pärn at his most defiantly surrealist best. The entire short…