The Old Man and the Sea

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.

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.

a film who could surprise if the name of Alexandr Petrov is unknown. if not, it is only expression of subtle, touching and high art. a slice of pure beauty, homage to a great story and to its author. the images are almost magic. because behind each the passion, the hard work, the patience and the perseverance are signs of a kind of mystery. a film about a fight and a dream.out of words, far by definitions. it is a great animation and that fact is the secret for who not only admiration is the answer of spectator to it. something who seems be the childhood flavor and the grace of great dreams are ingredients of it. a film like a challenge. and like a refuge.

"The Old Man and the Sea" (1999) directed by Aleksandr Petrov is a 20 minutes long animation based on Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novella of the same name. Petrov's film was awarded Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2000. More than two years of painting on glass sheets, using brushes but mostly his own fingers, resulted in over 29,000 paintings that enabled Petrov to produce this absolutely awesome, one of the kind feast of colors, images, and emotions that celebrate the famous work of literature and its creator. I have watched it perhaps ten times during the last weekend. I am still overwhelmed by its beauty and depth, and the admiration for what human imagination, creativity, and talent are capable of producing. The extremely rare technique made the film both incredibly realistic and magically dream-like. The director himself gave us the key to understanding his work when he explained that painting with his fingers instead of brushes, "is the closest way from the heart to the cartoon". He put his own heart in every scene of the film, and that's probably why every image is alive, breathing, and shining.

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.