The Mascot (part 3) - Ladislas Starewicz (Puppet Love)

Part 3 of the best stop-motion film ever made, IMHO. Actually, one of the best short films ever made!

Starewicz had become a master animator by 1933, incorporating techniques never used before and rarely since (such as moving the puppets during the actual exposure to create blurring for fast movement). His use of rear-screen projection is also surprisingly effective.

But more important than these technical details is the great humor of his writing and his sensitivity to character. Each of the dozens of puppets in this film is imbued with a convincing personality; none more so than the title character, known as Fétiche in France and Duffy in England and the U.S. I think the scene of him hanging in a car's rear window is one of the funniest and most poignant scenes you'll find in any film. The character was so successful Starewicz starred him in four more films - if anyone has them, please contact me!

We have CGI now, but all Starewicz had was an imagination that wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Whatever he wanted to see on the screen, he created. And he wanted to see some truly bizarre stuff - every imaginable piece of scrap is called up for service: old shoes, chicken bones, utensils, broken glasses, dolls, monkeys, rats...nothing was off limits.

A sweet, funny, and also eerie film that should be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in animation. Or film, for that matter.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• stop
• motion
• animation
• Wladyslaw
• Starevich
• Starevitch
• Starewich
• Starewitch
• short
• film
• Fétiche
• Mascotte
• Devil's
• Ball
• yt:quality=high

[BenandKevinshow]

You sir are a god among men! Thank you so much for what you've done to bring this masterpiece to the masses.

[marknyc9]

@BenandKevinshow

Happy to spread the word about Starewicz! If you want to download a complete mpeg of the film search for The Mascot - Complete and Uncut at archive.org

[deadthree]

hey its all complete? the films!! jajaja

[marknyc9]

Yes, it's complete.

[rut8888]

these videos show me time and time again why youtube is the best site on the interwebs. Where else would I find this?

[flyhead2]

A piece of cinematic genius from the enigmatic master. You can take today's wonderfully technical CGI nonsense, put it in your pipe and smoke it. This is pure cinema.

[az99920]

Kuwait's right! :) * Thanks

[teresavivarium]

much better than Toy story.

[jlovebirch]

He sure went to a lot of trouble for a lousy orange. Thanks a million for posting this incredible little masterpiece of a film. And to think most of us wasted our childhoods watching Hanna-Barberra crap, totally unaware that films of pure magic like this one have existed since the '30s.

[Cookiesh0w]

Really really good. 

[Meroveeus]

I have found it as well through Millennium :-)

Thanks a lot for the upload!

[xtortugaviejox]

@flyhead2 What makes this any better than something new just because of the methods used? WALL-E, Up, The Incredibles...

[BOECNation]

That was weird

[dokonew]

better than toy story xD