This book is a first and long-awaited study of the directorial work of the animation master Fëdor Khitruk (1917–2012), an artist who formed in the tradition of classical cel animation only to break the conventions once he turned into a director; a liaison between artists and authorities; a personality who promoted daring films to be created in the Soviet Union dominated by socialist realism; and a teacher and supporter of young artists that continued to carry on his legacy long after the Soviet empire collapsed.
Fëdor Khitruk: A Look at Soviet Animation through the Work of One Master reveals Khitruk’s mastery in the art of the moving image and his critical role as a director of films that changed the look of Soviet animation and its relation to the animation world within and beyond the Eastern Bloc. Based on archival research, personal interviews, published memoirs, and perceptive analyses of Khitruk’s production of films for children and adults, this study is a must-read for scholars in Soviet art and culture as well as readers fascinated by traditional animation art.
Author(s): Laura Pontieri
Series: Focus Animation
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 192
City: Boca Raton
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Khitruk the Man and the Animator
Pre-Soyuzmultfilm
At Soyuzmultfilm
Notes
1 A Turning Point in the Profession: Story of a Crime (1962), Man in the Frame (1966)
From Animating to Directing
Story of a Crime (Istoriia Odnogo Prestupleniia, 1962)
Innovation of Style
A Play with Languages
A Move from Socialist Realism
The Soviet Union of the 1960s
Production and Reception of the Film
From Criticism to Harsh Satire. Man in the Frame (Chelovek V Ramke, Fëdor Khitruk, 1966)
Character, Space and Literary References
Real Life in Still Photographs
Character’s Isolation from Society
From a Study of the Human Soul to an Attack to the System
Revised Ending and Official Reception
Notes
2 Films for Children: Toptyzhka (1964), Bonifatius’s Vacation (1965), and Vinni Pukh (1969–72)
Innovation of Style in Films for Children
Toptyzhka (1964)
In Pursuit of Charushin’s Manner
Animal Sounds, Narrator Voice, and Music
Inner World Behind Images and Movements
Bonifatius’s Vacation (1965)
A Charming Character and Fragmented Bodies
Musical Commentaries
Conventionalized Style
Winnie the Pooh Series 1969–72
In Search of Unique Stylistic Choices
Sound, Music, and Voice
Notes
3 Art and Society: Othello 67 (1967) and Film, Film, Film (1968)
Othello 67 (1967)
Film Film Film (1968)
Genesis of the Film
Musical Refrain
Sources of the Comic
Censorship
Notes
4 Individual and Society: The Island (1973), I’ll Give You a Star (1974), and Icarus and the Wisemen (1976)
The Island (Ostrov, 1973)
Caricature Style
Topical Themes
Sound and Rhythm
Representation of Time and Space
I’ll Give You a Star (Dariu Tebe Zvezda, 1974)
Concrete Time and Space
Flaws in the Whole
Woman Question
Anima-Genic
Icarus and the Wisemen (Ikar I mudretsy, 1976)
Icarus and the Flight
Words as Weapons
Epilogue
Notes
5 In Search for Unconventional Sources: The Young Friedrich Engels (1970), A Day Before Our Era (1977), and Olympics (1982)
The Young Friedrich Engels (Iunosha Fridrik Engels, 1970)
Animated Drawings, Caricatures, and Words
Engel’s thought through Music, Sound, and Images
A Day Before Our Era (Za Den’ Nashego Ery. Fragment, 1977. Unreleased)
Animating Works of Art
Music as a Layer in the Structure
The Two Faces of Revolutions
Olympics (Olimpioniki, 1982)
Opening Sequence
Animating Greek Vases’ Figures
A Return to Present Time with Photography
Notes
6 The Last Torch: The Lion and the Bull (1983)
Background and Characters
A Prologue in Condensed Form
Moral Without Words
Notes
Conclusion: Khitruk – The Teacher
Films Cited
Films Directed by Fëdor Khitruk and Awards
Selected Bibliography
Appendix: Films Animated by Khitruk at Soyuzmultfilm
Index
