Fëdor Khitruk A Look at Soviet Animation through the Work of One Master

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).