This will be a very short post. I just wanted to share a short animated film by Yuriy Norshteyn, one of my favorite animators.
His technique is quite unique. He and his wife paint all of the elements that will make the film on celluloid, and cut them out. They then created characters much the same way one would make a paper doll. Norshteyn has drawers and drawers filled with cut out mouths and eyes, arms and legs. All the elements for a frame are composited, using multiple layers of glass, each layer containing different celluloid cut-outs. Every glass layer can move towards or away from the camera creating photographic depth.
If you like this short film, then check out Tale of Tales, a true masterpiece.
wow. super dark and beautiful, i love how eastern european (russian?)folktales have this crazy sense of mortality that has been lost or removed from western ones. its like how in russia they have their easter egg hunts in the cemetery to represent triumph over death. there’s something potent about that.
My favorite folktales come from eastern Europe. I don’t know if they’re specifically more focused on mortality than the west. I’ve read some pretty dark tales from England and Ireland, for instance.
I think what you’re saying is that the modern western re-tellings of folktales have lost these darker notes, and of course I agree.