1st Edition
Fëdor Khitruk A Look at Soviet Animation through the Work of One Master
This book is a first and long-awaited study of the directorial work of the animation master Fëdor Khitruk (1917–2012), an artist who formed in the tradition of classical cel animation only to break the conventions once he turned into a director; a liaison between artists and authorities; a personality who promoted daring films to be created in the Soviet Union dominated by socialist realism; and a teacher and supporter of young artists that continued to carry on his legacy long after the Soviet empire collapsed.
Fëdor Khitruk: A Look at Soviet Animation through the Work of One Master reveals Khitruk’s mastery in the art of the moving image and his critical role as a director of films that changed the look of Soviet animation and its relation to the animation world within and beyond the Eastern Bloc. Based on archival research, personal interviews, published memoirs, and perceptive analyses of Khitruk’s production of films for children and adults, this study is a must-read for scholars in Soviet art and culture as well as readers fascinated by traditional animation art.
Acknowledgements
Notes on Transliteration and Translation
Author
Preface
Introduction. Khitruk the Man and the Animator
Pre-Soyuzmultfilm
At Soyuzmultfilm
Chapter 1 - A Turning Point in the Profession. Story of a Crime (1962), Man in the Frame (1966)
From Animating to Directing
Story of a Crime (Istoriia odnogo prestupleniia, 1962)
Innovation of Style
A Play with Languages
A Move from Socialist Realism
The Soviet Union of the 1960s
Production and Reception of the Film
From Criticism to Harsh Satire Man in the Frame (Chelovek v ramke, 1966)
Character, Space and Literary References
Real Life in Still Photographs
Character’s Isolation from Society
From a Study of the Human Soul to an Attack to the System
Revised Ending and Official Reception
Chapter 2 - Films for children. Toptyzhka (1964), Bonifatius’s Vacation (1965) and Vinni Pukh (1969-72)
Innovation of Style in Films for Children
Toptyzhka (1964)
In Pursuit of Charushin’s Manner
Animal Sound, Narrator Voice, and Music
Inner World behind Images and Movements
Bonifatius’s Vacation (Kanikuly Bonifatsii, 1965)
A Charming Character and Fragmented Bodies
Musical Commentaries
Conventionalized Style
Winnie the Pooh series 1969-72
In Search of Unique Stylistic Choices
Sound, Music, and Voice
Chapter 3 - Art and Society Othello 67 (1967) and Film, Film, Film (1968)
Othello 67 (1967)
Film, Film, Film (1968)
Genesis of the Film
Musical Refrain
Sources of the Comic
Censorship
Chapter 4. Individual and Society - The Island (1973), I’ll Give you a Star (1974) and Icarus (1976)
The Island (Ostrov, 1973)
Caricature Style
Topical Themes
Sound and Rhythm
Representation of Time and Space
I’ll Give You a Star (Dariu tebe zvezdu, 1974)
Concrete Time and Space
Flaws in the Whole
Woman Question
Anima-genic
Icarus and the Sages (Ikar i mudretsy, 1976)
Icarus and the Flight
Words as Weapons
Epilogue
Chapter 5. In Search for Unconventional Sources. The Young Friedrich Engels (1970), A Day Before Our Era (1977), Olympiad (1982)
The Young Friedrich Engels (Iunosha Fridrik Engels, 1970)
Animated Drawings, Caricatures, and Words
Engel’s Thought through Music, Sound, and Images
A Day Before Our Era (Za den’ nashego ery. Fragment, 1977, unreleased).
Animating Works of Art
Music as a Layer in the Structure
The Two Faces of Revolutions
Olympics (Olimpioniki, 1982)
Introductory Scene
Animating Greek Vases’ Figures
A Return to Present Time with Photography
Chapter 6. The Last Torch. The Lion and the Bull (1983)
Background and Characters
A Prologue in Condensed Form
Morale Without Words
Conclusion. Khitruk – The Teacher.
Films Directed by Khitruk and Awards
Films Cited
Documentaries and Podcast about Khitruk
Selected Bibliography
Appendix. Films Animated by Khitruk at Soyuzmultfilm
Biography
Laura Pontieri, PhD taught Soviet cinema and European animation at the University of Toronto for many years, appeared as a speaker at academic conferences and cinema events, and published several articles and reviews on Russian and Czech animation in North American and European journals. She is the author of the book Soviet Animation and the Thaw of the 1960s: Not Only for Children (John Libbey Publishing, 2012).
