Císaruv slavík

Jiøí Trnka's best-known animation feature is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Emperor's Nightingale." More than a dazzling illustration of the story, it is a remarkable example of Trnka's favor for design in sets and costumes, a work he also did for other directors in the Czech film industry. Unfortunately, the story relies too much on narration (provided by Boris Karloff in the American version) as in Jan Švankmajer's "Alice", but while Švankmajer stylish approach to Lewis Carroll's bizarre tale makes up for the narrated option, in Trnka's case the designs do not compensate for Andersen's rather simple story of the value of finding beauty in the simplest things.