Masters Of Russian Animation (1962-1991)

An extraordinary collection of award-winning animated short films by Russia's world-renowned directors and artists. Digitally restored from 35mm materials newly printed by the National Film Archive of Russia, these are the highly personal animated short films from the Soyuzmultfilm Studio.
Winners of the top prizes at Annecy, Cannes, Colombo, Delhi, Espinho, Grijon, Hiroshima, Kiev, Krakow, Lille, London, Mamaia, Melbourne, Moscow, New York, Oberhausen, Odense, Ottawa, Stuttgart, Sydney, Tampere, Tours, Venice, and Zagreb. Presented in anthology format for the first time.

In general, much of the world looks back at the Soviet Union as a grey, bleak, frightening place which lacked any essence of personality and character; a place where culture didn’t grow but was oppressed and personal, expressive freedoms were not only lacked but state-controlled and shadowed by the secret police. Although all this is true, (and there is no way to condone or approve of such repressive behavior by a regime), there was a certain light in the darkness, a fresh breath in the swell of rotten air: animation.

In 2000, a 4-disc DVD collection entitled Masters of Russian Animation was released, primarily to expose the western hemisphere that there was, indeed, color in between the grey, concrete stones of Soviet oppression. This collection features Soviet-era animation (both hand drawn and stop motion) spanning from the Cold War early 1960’s to right before the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and let me assure you, it’s nothing short of superb.

Each disc features fairly short (on average about 10 minute) skits that represent the true and exquisite talents that these Soviet filmmakers had. Although one could analytically scrutinize them, the beautiful thing about these cartoons is that they are not there to beat the viewer over the head with politburo propaganda and support of the comrades, commissars, state, and revolution (with the exception of few, like ‘Passion of Spies’). They are there to evoke emotion, to make the viewer feel, and let me tell you; these animations are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Everything from the grimly animated ‘There Live Kozyavin’, to the critically acclaimed stop-motion ‘Seasons’ and ‘Ball of Wool’ – these are powerful and intriguing pieces of art that deserve a far bigger appreciation than the world chose to provide.

Once might ask as to how something like this pertains to a zine that focuses on sci-fi and horror? Well, these certainly aren’t cheery, happy, nuclear-family presentations. These shorts represent sadness, oppression, power, life, and the meaning of it, all executed beautifully through each artists talent. Were these the artist’s original intentions? To subconsciously educate the masses through subtle images? Who knows. But these definitely have a dark, melancholy, almost realistically disturbing feel to them that truly represent humanity and remind us who we are as creatures inhabiting this earth. If you are a fan of animation, a philosopher of imagery, or a virtuoso of the visual arts, this is a must have in your collection.

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Content (English):
01. Story of One Crime. Director: Fyodor Khitruk. 1962 Year. 20 min
02. Man in A Frame. Director: Fyodor Khitruk. 1966 Year. 10 min
03. My Green Crocodile. Director: Vadim Kurchevsky. 1966 Year. 10 min
04. There Lived Kozyavin. Director: Andrei Khrjanovsky. 1966 Year. 7 min
05. Mountain of Dinosaurs. Director: Rasa Strautmane. 1967 Year. 10 min
06. Passions of Spies. Director: Yefem Gamburg. 1967 Year. 20 min
07. Glass Harmonica. Director: Andrei Khrjanovsky. 1968 Year. 20 min
08. Ball of Yarn. Director: Nikolai Serebryakov. 1968 Year. 10 min
09. Singing Teacher. Director: Anatoly Petrov. 1968 Year. 3 min
10. Film Film Film. Director: Fyodor Khitruk. 1968 Year. 20 min


Content (Russian):
01. История одного преступления. Режиссёр: Фёдор Хитрук. 1962 год. 20 минут
02. Человек в рамке.Режиссёр: Фёдор Хитрук. 1966 год. 10 минут
03. Мой зелёный крокодил. Режиссёр: Вадим Курчевский. 1967 год. 10 минут
04. Жил-был Козявин. Режиссёр: Андрей Хржановский. 1966 год. 7 минут
05. Гора Динозавров. Режиссёр: Раса Страутмане. 1967 год. 10 минут
06. Шпионские страсти. Режиссёр: Ефим Гамбург. 1967 год. 20 минут
07. Стеклянная гармоника. Режиссёр: Андрей Хржановский. 1968 год. 20 минут
08. Клубок. Режиссёр: Николай Серебряков. 1968 год. 10 минут
09. Учитель пения. Режиссёр: Анатолий Петров. 1968 год. 3 минуты
10. Фильм Фильм Фильм. Режиссёр: Фёдор Хитрук. 1968 год. 20 минут

A great anthology of animated films from a country with a rich (yet often hidden) sense of humour. The films range from the Soviet system bashing of "Man in the Frame" & "There Lived Kozyavin" to morality plays such as "Ball of Wool" and "Glass Harmonica" to the delightful silliness of "Film, Film, Film" & "The Passion of Spies". These films provide a rare glimpse into the REAL world of the Soviet Union of the sixties. A rich compilation certain to please anyone who appreciates wit & wisdom in animation.

Customer Review, amazon.com

Content (English):
01. Seasons. Director: Ivan Ivanov-Vano. 1969 Year. 9 min
02. Ballerina on a Boat. Director: Lew Atamanov. 1969 Year. 17 min
03. Armoire. Director: Andrei Khrjanovsky. 1970 Year. 5 min
04. Battle of Kerjenets. Director: Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Yuri Norstein. 1971 Year. 10 min
05. Butterfly. Director: Andrei Khrjanovsky. 1972 Year. 10 min
06. Island. Director: Fyodor Khitruk. 1973 Year. 10 min
07. Fox and Rabbit. Director: Yuri Norstein. 1973 Year. 12 min
08. Heron and Crane. Director: Yuri Norstein. 1974 Year. 11 min
09. Hedgehog in the Fog. Director: Yuri Norstein. 1975 Year. 11 min
10. Crane's Feathers. Director: Ideya Garanina. 1977 Year. 10 min
11. Firing Range. Director: Anatoly Petrov. 1975 Year. 10 min
12. Contact. Director: Vladimir Tarasov. 1978 Year. 10 min


Content (Russian):
01. Времена года. Режиссёр: Иван Иванов-Вано. 1969 год. 9 минут
02. Балерина на Корабле. Режиссёр: Лев Атаманов 1969 год. 17 минут
03. Шкаф. Режиссёр: Андрей Хржановский. 1971 год. 5 минут
04. Сеча при Керженце. Режиссёр: Иван Иванов-Вано и Юрий Норштейн. 1971 год. 10 минут
05. Бабочка. Режиссёр: Андрей Хржановский. 1972 год. 10 минут
06. Остров. Режиссёр: Фёдор Хитрук. 1973 год. 10 минут
07. Лиса и Заяц. Режиссёр: Юрий Норштейн. 1973 год. 12 минут
08. Цапля и Журавль. Режиссёр: Юрий Норштейн. 1974 год. 11 минут
09. Ёжик в тумане. Режиссёр: Юрий Норштейн. 1975 год. 11 минут
10. Журавлиные перья. Режиссёр: Идея Гаранина. 1977 год. 10 минут
11. Полигон. Режиссёр: Анатолий Петров. 1977 год. 10 минут
12. Контакт. Режиссёр: Владимир Тарасов. 1978 год. 10 минут

If you have any love of animation at all - the artistry, the depth, the impact - the Masters of Russian Animation volumes are a MUST OWN. In this edition, Norstein's "Hedgehog in the Fog" will tickle and please your visual imagination like NOTHING else! I presented this short film to an American suburban community center audience and they were SPELLBOUND! I've owned a lot of films on DVD (and sold a lot - crazy recession), but I'll never relinquish any of the four volumes in this series. NEVER! Enjoy, with my regards.

Customer Review, amazon.com

Content (English):
01. Tale of Tales. Director: Yuri Norstein. 1979 Year. 30 min
02. Hunt. Director: Eduard Nasarow. 1979 Year. 10 min
03. Last Hunt. Director: Alexandr Karawaew. 1982 Year. 11 min
04. There Was A Dog. Director: Eduard Nasarow. 1982 Year. 11 min
05. Travels of an Ant. Director: Eduard Nasarow. 1983 Year. 10 min
06. Lion and Ox. Director: Fyodor Khitruk. 1983 Year. 10 min
07. Wolf and Calf. Director: Mihail Kamenezky. 1984 Year. 10 min
08. Cabaret. Director: Ideya Garanina. 1981 Year. 21 min
09. Old Stair. Director: Alexandr Gorlenko. 1985 Year. 7 min
10. King's Sandwich. Director: Andrei Khrjanovsky. 1985 Year. 10 min
11. About Sidorov Vova. Director: Eduard Nasarow. 1985 Year. 10 min


Content (Russian):
01. Сказка сказок. Режиссёр: Юрий Норштейн. 1979 год. 30 минут
02. Охота. Режиссёр: Эдуард Назаров 1979 год. 10 минут
03. Последняя охота. Режиссёр: Александр Караваев. 1982 год. 11 минут
04. Жил-был пёс. Режиссёр: Эдуард Назаров. 1982 год. 11 минут
05. Путешествие муравья. Режиссёр: Эдуард Назаров. 1983 год. 10 минут
06. Лев и вол. Режиссёр: Фёдор Хитрук. 1983 год. 10 минут
07. Волк и телёнок. Режиссёр: Михаил Каменецкий. 1984 год. 10 минут
08. Балаган. Режиссёр: Идея Гаранина. 1981 год. 21 минута
09. Старая лестница. Режиссёр: Александр Горленко. 1985 год. 7 минут
10. Королевский бутерброд. Режиссёр: Андрей Хржановский. 1985 год. 10 минут
11. Про Сидорова Вову. Режиссёр: Эдуард Назаров. 1985 год. 10 минут

This is like watching a children's book come to life. If you enjoy the imagery of illustration, than this series is for you. Yuri Norstein dominates this collection with "Tale of Tales", one of the best animated shorts in the history of animation. Every one of these shorts is amazing and I would recommend it to any parent, librarian, teacher, or educator that wants to show something better that the corporate, lifeless animation that is being produced today.This has heart it every cell!

Customer Review, amazon.com

Content (English):
01. Door. Director: Nina Shorina. 1986 Year. 11 min
02. Boy Is a Boy. Director: Natasha Golovanova. 1986 Year. 10 min
03. Liberated Don Quixote. Director: Vadim Kurchyevskiy. 1986 Year. 20 min
04. Martinko. Director: Eduard Nazarov. 1987 Year. 11 min
05. Big Underground Ball. Director: Stanislav Sokolov. 1987 Year. 20 min
06. Cat and Clown. Director: Stanislav Sokolov. 1988 Year. 10 min
07. Dream. Director: Nina Shorina. 1988 Year. 12 min
08. Kele. Director: Mihail Aldashin. 1991 Year. 7 min
09. Alter Ego. Director: Nina Shorina. 1991 Year. 9 min
10. Girlfriend. Director: Elena Gavrilko. 1990 Year. 10 min
11. Croak x Croak. Director: Elena Fyodorova. 1990 Year. 11 min
12. Cat and Company. Director: Alexander Guriyev. 1990 Year. 9 min


Content (Russian):
01. Дверь. Режиссёр: Нина Шорина. 1986 год. 11 минут
02. Мальчик как мальчик. Режиссёр: Наталья Голованова. 1986 год. 10 минут
03. Свободный Дон Кихот. Режиссёр: Вадим Курчевский. 1986 год. 20 минут
04. Мартынко. Режиссёр: Эдуард Назаров. 1987 год. 11 минут
05. Большой подземный бал. Режиссёр: Станислав Соколов. 1987 год. 20 минут
06. Кот и клоун. Режиссёр: Станислав Соколов. 1988 год. 10 минут
07. Сон. Режиссёр: Нина Шорина. 1988 год. 12 минут
08. Kele. Режиссёр: Михаил Алдашин. 1991 год. 7 минут
09. Второе Я. Режиссёр: Нина Шорина. 1991 год. 9 минут
10. Подружка. Режиссёр: Елена Гаврилко. 1990 год. 10 минут
11. Дважды ква. Режиссёр: Елена Фёдорова. 1990 год. 11 минут
12. Кот и компания. Режиссёр: Александр Гурьев. 1990 год. 9 минут

American audiences in general are not as familiar with animation that is OTHER than Saturday morning Warner brothers, or other kiddie directed style. And while it's possible that the films in this collection are below par for great world animation – they are still mindblowingly beautiful works. Especially “Door”, and “Big Underground Ball”. The imagination and effort that goes into these brilliant stop motion doll, and claymation works is inspiring and delightful. And a long artistic way from the few celebrated claymation features that get rolled out every year for the past 45 years and are the staple of American diet on holidays. This series 1-4, along with Jan Svankmayer's works, should be part of any fan of visual arts collection.

Customer Review, amazon.com

I've never seen any of these films before, but I'm an all too battle-scarred veteran of scratched and mangled prints of 1960s animation, and these prints are on a completely different plane. Quite frankly, I'm amazed this stuff is available on DVD at all at such an early stage of the medium's existence, and the fact that the quality is amazingly high as well is merely the icing on the cake. Each film is individually accessible via the menu or chapter skip buttons, and the foldout cardboard DVD case contains stills and programme notes for each title, together with a one-page historical scene-setting introduction, though there are no notes or other extras on the disc itself.

Superb though the presentation undoubtedly is, there's nothing on this DVD in terms of actual content that's quite as sheerly extraordinary as the great masterpieces of Ivan Ivanov-Vano and especially Yuri Norstein, which can be found on volumes 2 and 3 - so I'd recommend those discs in preference to this one for newcomers to Russian animation. But if you're already familiar with their work, this discs are a treasure trove of unexpected delights - I learned a lot from it, and as a former animation festival programmer I'm supposed to be an authority on the subject!