Il vecchio e il mare

When I saw this film was made by Aleksandr Petrov, I knew it had to be special. Even before this film received the Oscar for Best Short Animated Film, he was already well-known for his short films since he'd been nominated for Oscars in this same category for THE COW and MERMAID. All three of these films are breathtaking to watch--with the most amazing animation I have ever seen. Instead of traditionally cartoon-like animation or CGI, his films are like living and moving paintings--looking like something that should be in an art museum--not in a theater. They are simply gorgeous.

As for THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, it easily deserved to win the Oscar--being yet another great Petrov film. The only odd thing about it is that it was made in English and French and when I saw it I was surprised because I expected Russian! Still, a gorgeous and faithful adaptation of the book and far better than the Spencer Tracy version of the tale.

Based on Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novella of the same name, Aleksandr Petrov's 'The Old Man and the Sea' is a masterpiece of animated short films, taking a classic story and offering it a beauty that only Petrov could accomplish. Completed over two and a half years, the film was created using paint-on-glass animation, a technique which uses slow-drying pastel oil paints on glass sheets. Running for approximately 20 minutes, the film is comprised of more than 29,000 paintings, each frame a veritable work of art. 'The Old Man and the Sea' was the first animated short film to be released in IMAX format, and I can only imagine how breathtaking it would have been on such a large screen. Alas, I was forced to settle for my minuscule computer monitor, but perhaps I'll get my chance someday.

The film traces the fortunes of an old man named Santiago, who has had a proud, adventure-filled life, and now whittles away his days fishing alone on the ocean, usually without catching anything. His young apprentice, Mandolin, despite being forbidden by his parents to go fishing with the old man, visits everyday, and the old man would often regale Mandolin with the exciting stories of his lifelong travels, of elephants and tigers and the ocean. On this particular fishing trip, Santiago comes up against a magnificent marlin, which takes the bait but refuses to give in. The old man feels that, despite he and the fish being brothers, it is his duty to kill the marlin, and only in doing so can he prove his worth.

The wonderful animation of 'The Old Man and the Sea' is startlingly realistic, but the effect of the oil-on-glass also gifts it with a certain dream-like quality. The ocean is a vast heaving body of blue, a character in itself, and the marlin which lurks in its depths is an immense creature of great dignity. The moment when the struggling marlin tries unsuccessfully to escape by hurtling itself magnificently into the open air is truly affecting. The beauty of this film must be seen to be believed, and the 2000 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film was certainly not undeserved.

What a Beautiful animation, I really love this style of art, It fits Perfectly the mood of the story as well.

a well known text. and more that. impressive realism. and touching poetry. a masterpiece, without doubt. but on who inspires so emotion than transforms each moment in a surprise. because it is more Hemingway than Santiago in this story about memories - dreams, confessions, terrible fight, disillusion, pain and broke of expectation. it is almost a Hasidic story. or a parable. out of lines of text, out of expectations of viewer. a kind of magic. not surprising for the public of Alexander Petrov. but out of words. because his art has him. a gift. a miracle. open of new perspective of reality. that is all. and it is enough. because The Old Man and the Sea by Alexander Petrov is more than a magnificent adaptation. it is one of the most impressive confessions as part of unique art.

the most unbelievable animation in decades...i am an amateur animator and perhaps from that perspective the film may seem more incredible, but that doesn't take away from the fact that aleksandr petrov is an absolute master of his craft. i was told by a friend that there are only a handful of "painting" animators in the world...those that animate via paint, and after seeing this i believe that he may very well be the rembrandt of animation. for any of you that are fans of both art forms (painting and animation, and lets face it... fans of anything that is stupefyingly incredible on this scale), this is what you need to watch. in the vein of winsor mckay and the old school masters of cel animation, petrov has re-instituted animation as an ARTform...not some Disney and terrible anime. this is worth spending the 20 minutes to watch...if only to feel deeply inadequate yourself.