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Heroic Times (1984)
I'd been itching to see the 1984 Hungarian animated film Heroic Times, restored by Deaf Crocodile, since reading its review on Blu-ray.com last fall, but, though I came close several times, I wasn't quite willing to spring for a $20 blind buy - and the disc's price has risen since then. Happily, it can now be rented for $3, so I opted for that instead of a $10 digital purchase.
The movie is an episodic tale of battle, honor, politics, war, and jesters, told with the protagonist's narration, though apparently the director didn't even want that. There are no character names or dialogue, and almost no facial animation that I can recall; expressions are nearly entirely in still paintings, some of which the camera lingers on for long moments. That said, the movement that is animated - horseback riding, jousting, battles, and crowds (even when viewed from a far distance), as well as the static elements, are stunningly beautiful. One sequence of the protagonist running through a castle looks astoundingly modern.
It's hard to criticize the story and characters for being disjointed and unsympathetic when that's the film's clear theme, or to bemoan the lack of facial animation as keeping the audience at a remove when that's the equally clear intent, but my patience was sometimes tested despite the brief running time and excellence of the artistry (Nor was the movie warmly received in Hungary at the time, if TV Tropes is correct, though it's gradually grown in esteem since then.) And maybe Soviet censorship prevented director József Gémes from being more pointed in his critique of monarchs and wanton warfare; I can't say.
Heroic Times is absolutely worth a watch for the visuals alone, and the themes that are presented are weighty and timeless. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from calling it a masterpiece on all counts, but I'm not ready to do so myself. Repeat viewings, with one accustomed to the story's coldness, might be more rewarding.
Grade: B+
I'd been itching to see the 1984 Hungarian animated film Heroic Times, restored by Deaf Crocodile, since reading its review on Blu-ray.com last fall, but, though I came close several times, I wasn't quite willing to spring for a $20 blind buy - and the disc's price has risen since then. Happily, it can now be rented for $3, so I opted for that instead of a $10 digital purchase.
The movie is an episodic tale of battle, honor, politics, war, and jesters, told with the protagonist's narration, though apparently the director didn't even want that. There are no character names or dialogue, and almost no facial animation that I can recall; expressions are nearly entirely in still paintings, some of which the camera lingers on for long moments. That said, the movement that is animated - horseback riding, jousting, battles, and crowds (even when viewed from a far distance), as well as the static elements, are stunningly beautiful. One sequence of the protagonist running through a castle looks astoundingly modern.
It's hard to criticize the story and characters for being disjointed and unsympathetic when that's the film's clear theme, or to bemoan the lack of facial animation as keeping the audience at a remove when that's the equally clear intent, but my patience was sometimes tested despite the brief running time and excellence of the artistry (Nor was the movie warmly received in Hungary at the time, if TV Tropes is correct, though it's gradually grown in esteem since then.) And maybe Soviet censorship prevented director József Gémes from being more pointed in his critique of monarchs and wanton warfare; I can't say.
Heroic Times is absolutely worth a watch for the visuals alone, and the themes that are presented are weighty and timeless. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from calling it a masterpiece on all counts, but I'm not ready to do so myself. Repeat viewings, with one accustomed to the story's coldness, might be more rewarding.
Grade: B+