[TALES OF THE NIGHT
screens Friday January 11th at 7:00 pm and Sunday January 13th at
1:00 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
Some things can be appreciated even if
they are not necessarily enjoyed. TALES OF THE NIGHT,
the French 3D animated anthology film, is such a thing. The film
collects six tales and legends from around the world. The stories all
have a sort of primal appeal as such stories tend to do, and often
conclude with clever twists or morals. The total package is held
together both by a recurring motif of princesses and heroes in
conflict with villains and monsters, and by a framing sequence in
which an older man tries to convince two young actors to perform each
story.
Visually
the film is quite arresting, using a computerized version of the
ancient “shadow puppet” style of storytelling. As with any
animated film these days that doesn't have that same generic
Pixar-lite look, the effort to do something different is more than
welcome. However, while the film is somewhat engaging on an aesthetic
and intellectual level, it never really engages the viewer on an
emotional level, coming off as sterile and distant. Certainly the
framing sequence, which ensures that we're always at at least one
remove from the action, doesn't help in that respect.
Five
of the six segments here were originally shown on their own as part
of a 2010 French television series called Dragons et
Princesses (Dragons
and Princesses). In that format the individual stories may well have
been more effective. Certainly none are without at least some appeal,
but seeing them one after the other and in the context of the framing
sequence, the concept wears out its welcome fairly quickly. Whatever
magic there is inherent in tales and legends of this sort, as
presented here it's not enough to maintain the spell. 2 1/2 out of 4
stars.
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