While visually Svankmajer's 1966 short film "Punch and Judy" is up to the standards of his normal work in the bizarre and artistic imagery, one thing this film lacks a lot of is the infamous stop-motion that made his style distinct. Being a puppet show, much of the movie is not animated at all and instead combines a good deal of live-action within its run-time, save several sequences. This is not a huge issue since it remains as weird and crazy as later works, but at the same time it does show how much developing needed to occur before the director would have an obvious style.
The film is set up as a puppet show, in which Punch and his enemy Harlequin battle furiously over a guinea pig. The stage itself is hardly lacking in any visual uniqueness; on the contrary, it is decorated with just about everything Svankmajer could lay his hands on. B&W nineteenth century photos appear throughout, as well as newspaper article clips. As the fight gets crazier and crazier, the film becomes darker and darker - supposed deaths of both puppets occur, only for each to be resurrected for a final battle. On top of that, the guinea pig is entirely live and out of place in the lavish setting, which makes the short even stranger.
The plot, while ridiculous and pointless, is mainly the key to set-up the action, and it is fun and interesting to watch although not nearly as interesting as later efforts. In the end, one must appreciate the filmmaker's lavishly artistic production design, but the film is far from outstanding though it does stay entertaining enough to give one a chuckle or two.
