The Emperor and the Nightingale (1946)

Jiri Trnka

In my youth, Jiri Trnka was a ground breaker in the world of puppet animation and creative narrative. We watched avidly for his films as they were technically fascinating, extremely witty and had a depth which english language films so lacked.
In viewing Trnka again after so many years it has dated in technique but is still as fresh in content.We have become so used to the marvels of computer animation that the labourious process of stop photography with its shortcomings sadly seems somewhat lacking. However Trnka, the master, can still show a trick or two as far as content is concerned.
This film is a sentimental journey for many of us, but is well worth watching as a stage of filmic development. January 27, 2008

The Puppet Films of Jiri Trnka

These unique, priceless animated offerings are perfect for those seeking some good old-fashioned low-tech charm after an overload of computer generated effects. Trnka was a brilliant artist whose work reflects a painstaking approach to creating animated magic. All his films reflect a striking breadth of imagination, and none more so than "Nightingale", which boasts Karloff's assured, understated narration. A memorable, distinctive treat for the whole family. June 27, 2007

Charming animation

If ever a man was born to his trade and art, it was Trnka. He grew up helping his grandmother make dolls and his mother with her work as a seamstress. By the time started making his movies, in his 30s, he had utter fluency in all of the manual skill needed for success. For new success, that is, because his career as an artist was already well established by then.

This DVD splits almost evenly into a feature length piece and six shorts. The former, "The Emperor's Nightingale," is a wonderful adaptation of a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It touches on many things, including the monotony of mechanical perfection compared to the unpredictable beauty of the organic world. Trnka objected to the Soviet regime that controlled the Czech people during most of his adult life. That was the hand that fed him, though, as well as the hand that could crush him. If there's a subtext of rebellion by a living society against a rigid, mechanical system of control, it's written in very small print.

The shorts varied widely in holding my attention. The cartoon adaptation of Chekov's "The Bass Cello" is warm and funny, with a delightful chill in it for anyone who's had a no-pants dream filled with frustration and embarassment. "A Drop Too Much" could possibly have been a public service feature, about a 15 minute sermon on the evils of drinking and driving. It comes across with the complexity and moral tone of one of those "Davey and Goliath" cartoons I never much liked as a kid. "The Merry Circus" is interesting for an innovative animation technique, one with many strengths and weakness relative to normal model making, and "The Song of the Prarie" is a silly satire of the 1950s Western movies - already pretty silly in themselves.

Only "The Hand" really stands out in that set. It's a modern fairy tale about artistic and personal freedom in the face of massive, controlling social power. Small wonder that this piece won awards abroad and suppression in his home country.

The style is a bit dated, and scripting tends towards a meditative pace. There's not a lot here for the ADHD generation, unless they're truly dedicated fans of animation. For us in the middle ground, there's a lot to enjoy, but the world has other things to enjoy in it, too.

//wiredweird March 12, 2007

emperor and the nightingale

The claymation on this is wonderful but my kids could not stay interested in it. February 5, 2007

Great movie memory from childhood...

This is a review for The Emperor and the Nightingale DVD, mine is a slightly different one. The cover art is the same, but mine contains only the movie plus one short film "John Henry and the Inky Poo" (which I believe is a George Pal short, correct me if I'm wrong...) The film, narrated creepily enough by Boris Karloff, has been color-enhanced and sound-restored, according to the info on the box. I recall seeing this movie on TV sometime in the early 70's, probably at Christmas time. It is a great story, very sad in places, but with a good message for children even today, although the extremely old-fashioned look of the film may not hold up to some young kid's attention spans today. I would categorize it as more for people my age who have seen it many years ago and wish to have a lovely nostalgia trip by watching it. Buy it and have tissues handy, it's a weepie! I give it 4 out of 5 stars >>only because my DVD doesn't have all the goodies listed such as the other cartoon short subjects and the documentary material. Direct all comments to; BrideOfCyrano@aol.com December 1, 2004

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