Spalicek

It is always interesting seeing stop motion animation and especially the older stop motion animation. It can be old-fashioned but very charmingly so, have more often than not found it lovely to watch and at its best magical. Never being too crude or trying to do too much. What has been seen of Jiri Trnka's work is really quite impressive and he and his films are deserving of more credit now if gems such as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (review to come) is to come by.

'The Czech Year' is another lovely film of his and a very well done tribute to the seasons and the traditions that come with them, with a good concept that is not wasted. Did like the structure, with a series of segments revolving around each season of the year (hence the title) and 'The Czech Year' does a very nice job with it. Though do agree that 'The Czech Seasons' would have been a slightly more fitting title. As far as Trnka's films go, this is one of his best and one of his most interesting, subject-wise it is quite different for him.

Perfect 'The Czech Year' isn't. Those not familiar with the Czech language and/or the older stop motion/puppet animation style, on top of perhaps a more deliberate pace may find themselves alienated on first glance, so 'The Czech Year' is perhaps not the best place to start getting into Trnka's films. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is perhaps a better choice for introduction.

Flaws are very few though, with the only major issue being the pace being over-deliberate in spots especially in the slighter sections.

Visually however, 'The Czech Year' looks great. The characters are detailed and full of life and the sceneries are colourful and atmospheric, old-fashioned yes but in an endearing way. The music is full of energy and beauty of tone, with a real feel for the period and a nostalgic Czech folklore vibe at times. The sung words don't ramble or get cheesy or schmaltzy. The characters are as alive in personality as they are in look and are engaging.

While the story is basically a series of segments revolving around the seasons, this is handled cleverly and not in too episodic a way. Actually found myself learning a good deal about the beautiful to watch and interesting seasonal traditions and emotionally it's done beautifully. Very slight and uneventful on occasions, but very charming and fascinates a good deal. The writing is not used too much and has a nice variety of tone.

Concluding, well worth seeing. 8/10.

A lengthy series of numerous animations comprise "Spalicek", also known as "The Czech Year." This animation is not available in the US, and can only be obtained via Amazon Japan, contained on the first volume of Jiri Trnka Film Works DVD collection.

As far as I can tell, "The Czech Year" might be more accurately described as "The Czech Seasons". Each short contains a simple story, somewhat related to the emotions and traditions associated with each season.

Like most of Trnka's work, the puppet designs are simple, but full of life. "Spalicek" doesn't have the same refinement of Trnka's later work, but is wonderful as his first big foray into puppet animation.

Since I am not fluent in the Czech language, this series of shorts can be a little difficult to watch. A great deal of story information is sung and spoken rather than acted. Still, there are great bits of animation, visuals, and music to keep things somewhat interesting.

I didn't watch the full film, as it was quite frankly difficult to keep up with everything. I'm not familiar with the folklore so maybe if someone is familiar they will understand it better.

The soundtrack and the singing was very beautiful, and it was definitely an amazing experience to hear.

But it is the first feature film Trnka made, and he was just ahead of his time, especially in terms of animation. This is just a beginning of his career and it is very promising.

I would recommend watching this film still, it is a big part of stop motion history especially Czechoslovakian stop motion history.