BEST FILMS OF 1926
by Mike Lorefice

The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Lotte Reineger

Initial feature film animation was truly a labor of love. Reineger spent three years making this unique feature, using scissors to cutout black cardboard characters and stringing them together so they could move. In order to film them so their origins wouldn't be obvious, Reineger silhouetted them against filigreed backgrounds. Just because the technology is dated don't think it's going to be incapable of invoking an emotional response, if anything that's what increased technology does, dehumanize the art. It may look a bit cheesy at first because you aren't used to it, but quickly you'll be so enchanted and seduced by the artistry and storytelling the characters will become more real than they look. Reineger wanted to make film her career from the moment she saw a Georges Melies, but beyond the uniqueness of the style, much of what makes the work interesting is it's similarities to the dying art of puppetry. [9/10/05] ****