Just another Swedish existential animated musical in four acts, enacted by humans with animal heads. Winner of grand prizes at Annecy and Toronto International film festivals.
All posts by Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies)
47*. THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE IN THE CARPATHIANS (1981)
Tajemství hradu v Karpatech
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
DIRECTED BY: Oldrich Lipský
FEATURING: Michal Docolomanský, Jan Hartl, Miloš Kopecký, Rudolf Hrusínský, Evelyna Steimarová
PLOT: Despondent after a failed love affair, Count Teleke explores the Carpathians with his manservant in hopes of forgetting his misfortune. The pair discover a mysterious castle on a mountainside and a man half buried in the road, and make their way to the village of “West Werewolfston,” where they learn more legends about the stronghold. Accompanied by the buried man, a civil servant who’s also obsessed with the castle, Teleke decides to investigate the mysterious edifice, where an evil Baron and a mad scientist are developing a powerful weapon.
BACKGROUND:
- Based on a short novel, “Le Château des Carpathes,” by Jules Verne.
- This was the third collaboration between director Oldrich Lipský and screenwriter Jiří Brdečka (after Canonically Weird Lemonade Joe and 1978’s Dinner for Adele.) Brdecka also worked on the screenplays for The Fabulous Baron Munchausen for Karel Zeman and The Cassandra Cat for Vojtech Jasný.
- Jan Svankmajer created the props.
- The castle used in the film for exterior shots was the former residence of the infamous Countess Elizabeth Báthory.
INDELIBLE IMAGE: For all the incredible gadgetry that appears in The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, the most unforgettable one may be the tiny pistol, no larger than a thumb, that the count pulls out to protect himself at the first sign of danger. (The bullets would have to be about the size of water drops, and locating the tiny trigger would be a chore).
TWO WEIRD THINGS: Eyes and ears on a staff; desiccated diva
WHAT MAKES IT WEIRD: The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is the steampunk, slapstick Czech parody of Gothic literature you never knew you needed—until you heard it described in just those words.
Restoration trailer for Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians
COMMENTS: The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is the last entry in a loose Czech trilogy parodying genres popular in the West: Continue reading 47*. THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE IN THE CARPATHIANS (1981)
SATURDAY SHORT: THE DIAMOND (2022)
A loner needs a stranger’s help to extricate a diamond from a hole in the ground.
CONTENT WARNING: Brief profanity.
SATURDAY SHORT: COSMOHEDRON (2022)
This surreal animation explores the connection between a three-eyed alien trucker, an office worker, and the goddess Gaia, among others.
46*. BUBBLE BATH (1980)
Habfürdö, AKA Foam Bath
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
“While it wasn’t a successful release, [Bubble Bath] now has all the qualities of a cult classic—riveting, unique, misunderstood, equal parts bizarre and brilliant, ahead of its time. It also fits into the category of surreal and psychedelic masterpieces from that era…”–Jennifer Lynde Barker, “Bubble Bath and the Animation of György Kovásznai,” in the booklet accompanying the Blu-ray release
DIRECTED BY: György Kovásznai
FEATURING: Voices of Kornél Gelley, Vera Venczel, Katalin Dobos; Albert Antalffy, Anna Papp, Katalin Bontovits (singers)
PLOT: In a panic, Zsolt drives to Anna’s apartment, begging her to call Klári, his fiancée and Anna’s co-worker, to call off his wedding, which is scheduled for later this afternoon. Anna reluctantly agrees to help, as the two find themselves becoming attracted to one another. When Klári suddenly arrives, in the company of a drunken boxer, to whisk Anna to the wedding, things take a turn for the screwball when Zsolt hides by dressing up as a frogman.
BACKGROUND:
- György Kovásznai was primarily a painter, but he made several surreal short films beginning in the 1960s. Habfürdö was his only completed feature. He died of leukemia in 1983 at the age of 49.
- Habfürdö was only the third animated feature ever made in Hungary, and the first one not made for children and not based on an existing literary work. It flopped in its local release but was influential among animators, and later became acknowledged as a cult film.
INDELIBLE IMAGE: Things move too fast to pin down a single frame, but, although they’re depicted in multiple styles, what sticks in the mind most are the character designs: Zsolt with his wavy hair and bushy, wandering mustache, and (especially) Anna, with her black bra straps and round glasses that frequently glow with freaky patterns.
TWO WEIRD THINGS: Psychedelic disco apartment; frogman down the drain
WHAT MAKES IT WEIRD: Although the story—a loose romantic comedy about a man having cold feet on his wedding day—is standard issue, this animated musical is thoroughly lysergic in its visuals, with the characters and scenery constantly morphing in stroboscopic wonderment. The entire film probably needs an epilepsy warning.
Restoration trailer for Bubble Bath
COMMENTS: Despite its relatively small size, Hungary’s contribution to the world of animation is tremendous. At its height, the national Pannónia Film Stúdió was considered one of the top five studios in the world, ranking only behind the Soviets, America’s Continue reading 46*. BUBBLE BATH (1980)