BAJAJA / PRINCE BAYAYA
CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1950
DIRECTOR: Jiri Trnka, 81 MIN

In the area of puppet and animated-films, Czechoslovakia achieved worldwide renown. The unsurpassed master of puppet-films was JirÍ Trnka (1912-1969), whose artistic status was long considered on par with Chaplin’s because he elevated the genre of animation – for a long time a domain of Walt Disney – to new heights. Even today, the plastic force and the lyrical inventiveness of his films are still captivating. PRINCE BAYAYA tells the fairy-tale of a poor farmer’s boy, who masquerades as a knight and – along with his white miracle horse – vanquishes three evil dragons, who were promised the old king’s three daughters. The “Lexikon des internationalen Films” praised the film for its “feathery atmosphere and comedic mischief, original musicality, poetic colour-design and the characterisation of the puppets, whose rhythm of movement – thanks to the camerawork – makes them look like actors.”

Caligari: 12.04. / 8.30 a.m.