Directed by Jiri Barta
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, KimStim/Kino Video)
Jiri Barta's dark take on the classic tale is set in an expressionistic village overrun by greed and rats. The common folk barter over pennies turning them into hideous monsters while the fat merchants gorge themselves on wine and meat. The latter group hires a piper to rid the town of rats and agree to pay him a large sum of money. After he leads the rats to mass suicide over a castle wall, the merchants refuse to pay him. The piper returns to get his revenge in an ironic yet appropriate way. Barta chooses to fabricate his fairytale mostly out of wood: the sets and the puppets are intricate carvings brought to life. However, he loses some fluidity in this medium which leads to a somewhat choppy animation style. Still, there is no denying his immense talent and imagination.
No comments:
Post a Comment