So, Little Otik hey? Where to begin. Well lets get to the point, this is a bit of a nothing movie in many ways, and in other ways, its a touch of genius.
The plot, derived so I'm told from a Czech fairy tale, tells of a log bought to life with a monstrous appetite, a real nod to the origins of the grotesque notion (a la Rabelais) Sadly, thats all this is. A short story read to kids to scare em in bed. Certainly not a full length feature film. This has been laid on the rack and stretched till it cant be stretched anymore. Its painfully long, and left me shifting in my seat as i awaited anything of note. Furthermore, your boredom is compounded when the ending is revealed long before we reach it. *SPOILER* You know the old woman is going to kill Otik. You know this for what must be over half an hour. You sit, and you wait, and you wait and you wait. And then finally when it does come, you don't even see it. My God. Talk about anti-climactic.
Anyway, i'm not here merely to slate this film. Like I said, there are touches of genius here. I'm new to Svankmajers work, but I found the art direction here spectacular. The stop animation fits so well into the nature of grotesque films, and despite modern day trappings of CGI and the like, Svankmajer sticks to his guns, and this makes the film fall effortlessly into the genre he demands. Its this ownership of the work you cant help but admire, whether you love or hate this film.
The acting in places is genius too. Mrs Horakova played by Veronika Zilkova, plays the distressed mother to a tee. Her performance is head and shoulders above anyone else in the film. Hats off to her. And young Albzertka isn't too bad either. Although the close ups of her behind, very uncomfortable. But again testament to the film maker for having the balls to do something like that.
anywho, in summation, the film itself - tedious. The direction - genius. The acting - In parts great. Watch it? Only if you're a director looking to see how you make a story your own and deliver it perfectly to your intended destination. If you want a night in with the missus, you're better off letting her choose!
The plot, derived so I'm told from a Czech fairy tale, tells of a log bought to life with a monstrous appetite, a real nod to the origins of the grotesque notion (a la Rabelais) Sadly, thats all this is. A short story read to kids to scare em in bed. Certainly not a full length feature film. This has been laid on the rack and stretched till it cant be stretched anymore. Its painfully long, and left me shifting in my seat as i awaited anything of note. Furthermore, your boredom is compounded when the ending is revealed long before we reach it. *SPOILER* You know the old woman is going to kill Otik. You know this for what must be over half an hour. You sit, and you wait, and you wait and you wait. And then finally when it does come, you don't even see it. My God. Talk about anti-climactic.
Anyway, i'm not here merely to slate this film. Like I said, there are touches of genius here. I'm new to Svankmajers work, but I found the art direction here spectacular. The stop animation fits so well into the nature of grotesque films, and despite modern day trappings of CGI and the like, Svankmajer sticks to his guns, and this makes the film fall effortlessly into the genre he demands. Its this ownership of the work you cant help but admire, whether you love or hate this film.
The acting in places is genius too. Mrs Horakova played by Veronika Zilkova, plays the distressed mother to a tee. Her performance is head and shoulders above anyone else in the film. Hats off to her. And young Albzertka isn't too bad either. Although the close ups of her behind, very uncomfortable. But again testament to the film maker for having the balls to do something like that.
anywho, in summation, the film itself - tedious. The direction - genius. The acting - In parts great. Watch it? Only if you're a director looking to see how you make a story your own and deliver it perfectly to your intended destination. If you want a night in with the missus, you're better off letting her choose!