Balada : by Jiri Barta

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There is no doubt that Prague is regarded as a hub of animation in the European film world, primarily due to the genius of Jan Svankmajer. Svankmajer's talent is complimented with accessibility—it is fortunate that his work has become so widely available, not merely on the festival circuit or in retrospectives, but also through home video and DVDs. This issue of availability has kept a number of Svankmajer's colleagues out of sight for some time, both his influences and protégés. Jirí Barta is one such study; unlike Svankmajer, Barta's work is not nearly as encompassing in its scope or output. Working primarily during the 1980s, Barta flourished during communist rule in the former Czechoslovakia, as funding was easily accessed through government grants, allowing students to develop at their own pace and direction. Initially dabbling with cutout shorts, Barta later experimented with stop-motion and puppetry, and within seven years of his first short completed The Pied Piper of Hamelin, still considered a masterpiece of Czech animation. Like Svankmajer, Barta leans toward the grotesque in his imagery; sound is heavily emphasized, whether it is blood sloshing or a guttural, nonsensical tongue, providing a tactile quality to his characters and their universe. We recognize these objects, yet they inhabit a world of their own which often draws on the political issues of the former communist block. Surreal creations, ranging from mannequins to abandoned gloves, are intricately involved in symbolic demonstrations of the Velvet Revolution, or playfully comment on the rapid intrusion of materialism on Eastern Europe. Barta's work is lighthearted, its overall tone more optimistic than Svankmajer in its criticism of society, despite extreme rigor for its morally inept characters. Barta's auteurist work has ceased over the past decade, as the director resorts to more commercial projects unseen on this side of the pond. Barta's long-term pet project on The Golem, a legendary clay myth often connected to Frankenstein, has been held up since the early 1990's, as producers frequently back out and artist grants remain scarce within the new Czech Republic.

Category: Film
Uploaded: August 30th, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
Author: TheMotionBrigades

Length: 10:10
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Views: 6,788

Tags: archangel barta czech film fimfarum gabriel jiri klimt kratky krysar motion praha quay stop svankmajer

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