More comedies and cartoons of the Stagnation era

More comedies and cartoons of the Stagnation era Everyday life and philosophical exploration of being

Eldar Ryazanov (b. 1927) § Numerous hit comedies, including Irony of Fate, shown every New Year’s Eve since 1975 § Comedy of characters § Irony § Poetry and songs in films § Social criticism § Humanistic values

Office Romance (1977) by E. Ryazanov A sad (despite the happy ending) and detailed comment on many aspects of life during the Stagnation (dull senseless work, hypocrisy, lies, overloaded women, ugly daily life, lineups, monotony, hopelessness).

Georgy Danelia (b. 1930) § § § Among his most popular films: I Walk Through Moscow (1963) Afonia (1975) Mimino (1977) Autumn Marathon (1979) Kin-dza (1986)

Mimino (1977) § Georgian, Armenian and Russian characters: Soviet Union at its best § A man in search for himself § Mild irony, comedy of characters and situation; verbal comedy § Human values tested and asserted (friendship, love for one’s birthplace and family, one’s vocation, etc. )

Autumn Marathon (1979) § Sad comedy, tragicomedy § Pathetic, indecisive (though endearing) character caught between two women § Complex irony § Subtle social criticism: day by day, nothing changes § The central problem unresolved – a metaphor for the Stagnation

Questions § What type of comedy is this? (slapstick/verbal; absurd; dark; farcical; situational/character; screwball; romantic) § How would you characterize this comedy? § What is Russian about it? Is it different from the comedies you know? § Do you sense any irony? § What is comic about it, where is the humour? § What comic devices are used? (hyperbole; misunderstanding; qui pro quo; culture clash; etc. )

Cartoons § Escapism: making films for children was a “less serious” matter, thus less censorship. Risky themes, Aesopian language. § Artistic experiments: exploration of different techniques and styles – clay and plastic dolls, drawings, paper-cut figures, etc.

Just You Wait (1969 -2006) by Viacheslav Kotionochkin

Cheburashka (1971) by Roman Kachanov and Leonid Shvartsman

Mystery of the Third Planet (1981) by Roman Kachanov

Plasticine Crow (1981) by Aleksandr Tatarski

Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) by Yuri Norstein

Yuri Norstein b. 1941

Hedgehog in the Fog trivia: § The muzzle (profile) might be a portrait of a writer Liudmila Petrushevskaia § Fan sites, popular punch lines (“Freak!”) § A stamp (1988) and a monument (Kiev, 2009)

Norstein and Petrushevskaia (the “prototype” of the Hedgehog)

Hedgehog in the Fog

Hedgehog in the Fog § In 2003, based on a survey of 140 cinema critics and animators worldwide, proclaimed the best film in history of animation. Norstein is given the highest Japanese order for his influence on world and Japanese animation. § Original “blurring” technique conveying the philosophical content. § Based on a story by Sergei Kozlov

Hedgehog in the Fog § Existentialist experience: as one faces the unknown, all senses sharpen. § The voice of a loved one leads through the danger. § Exploration of the unknown (its duality). § Getting out of touch with familiar reality § Relativity of reality: morphing, shifting, unstable forms of objects. § No objective point of view. § The notion of beauty (white horse)

Existential loneliness; the metaphor of life as a path

Threats and dangers

Familiar objects turn strange

Small hedgehog, big world

Exploring the unknown

A white horse: the elusive beauty

Hedgehog in the Fog § Going with the flow, accepting one’s predestination § Isolation of an individual § Internal dialogue § Self-exploration (“Who are you? ”) § Unseen Someone – divine interference? § Life-changing experience: leaves H. shattered.

The bear cub is looking at the hedgehog, the hedgehog is looking inside himself: