The Adventures of Prince Achmed
by Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Carl Koch, Lotte ReinigerDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Animated, Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Silent
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 67 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-12-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Movie Review: Done again, but never done better
Summary: 5 Stars
Prince Achmed captures more, in simple black-and-white cutouts, than others ever did with a whole palette. Just twenty minutes into this hour-plus movie, I had seen more events and action, in a kind of way, than most modern movies pack into their hour or more.
Historians note: a woman founded the world of animated feature films. As such, Dunarzhade, the leading female figure, was not only a strong character, but also very womanly. Back then, that meant a figure with deep hips and powerful lower body, a timeless kind of beauty that somehow seems to have gone out of fashion. These characters, halfway between stop animation and drawn characters, express everything clearly and more than clearly because Reinger still had to operate within the 'silent film' idiom of large gestures and few words. It works though, and I mean it works today, even when we've seen the ray-traced, radiosity-modeled, real-physics animation in the last half-hundred commercials.
Rich characters stand to the front, and evil villains, and wondrous monsters and heroes (sometimes the same), and dire disasters. Perhaps most of that comes from the viewer's demand that it be real. Even when we see the frozen fingers, we still read meaning into their actions. It's just fine that the observer defines the observation, Heisenberg aside. This incredible movie engages the imagination, it draws on the older myths, and it brings current personalitiies to life. As much as I hate to, I have to confess: some people won't like this. I can only pity their coarse and shallow tastes. Maybe a little magic wore off in this movie's 80-ish years, but only a little. Very little.
This not only defines where animation came from. It also defines where it is today, or should be.
-- wiredweird
Summary of The Adventures of Prince Achmed
The oldest extant animated feature, The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) was made by Lotte Reiniger using the silhouette technique she invented. Reiniger manipulated cutouts made from cardboard and thin sheets of lead under the camera to create an Arabian Nights world of delicate, filigree backgrounds and intricately jointed figures. With the assistance of Aladdin, the Witch of the Fiery Mountain, and a magic horse, the title character battles the evil African sorcerer to win the hand of Princess Peri Banu. Working from surviving nitrate prints, German and British archivists have lovingly restored the film: the backgrounds are tinted in delicate pastels rather than the black and white of previously available versions. Included with the film is Katja Raganelli's pretty documentary on Reiniger, which erroneously insists Prince Achmed was the first animated feature "in the history of cinema." Unrated: suitable for ages 8 and older; minor violence. --Charles SolomonThe first full-length animated film is still hailed as an enchanting masterpiece and one of the great classics: beautiful, mesermizing, and utterly seductive! Director Lotte Reiniger creates pure cinematic magic with her hand-cut silhouettes and, with her elegant and intricate designs, brings characters vividly to life with a rare lyrical quality. Taken from "The Arabian Nights," the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse which sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the evil plan and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures, joining forces with Aladdin and the Witch of the Fiery Mountains, doing battle with the sorcerer's army of monsters and demons, and falling in love with the bautiful Princess Peri Banu. Beautifully restored with its spectacular original color tinting and featuring a new orchestral recording of the magnificent original score, this dazzling adventure will enthrall children and film enthusiasts of all ages.
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