Divoká planeta
Directed by:
René LalouxScreenplay:
Roland ToporComposer:
Alain GoraguerCast:
Jean Topart, Hubert de Lapparent, Gérard Hernandez, Miroslav Masopust, Hana Maciuchová, Jorga Kotrbová, Marie Vášová, Věra Kubánková, Václav Voska (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Nothing else has ever looked or felt like director René Laloux’s animated marvel Fantastic Planet, a politically minded and visually inventive work of science fiction. The film is set on a distant planet called Ygam, where enslaved humans (Oms) are the playthings of giant blue native inhabitants (Draags). After Terr, kept as a pet since infancy, escapes from his gigantic child captor, he is swept up by a band of radical fellow Oms who are resisting the Draags’ oppression and violence. With its eerie, coolly surreal cutout animation by Roland Topor; brilliant psychedelic jazz score by Alain Goraguer; and wondrous creatures and landscapes, this Cannes-awarded 1973 counterculture classic is a perennially compelling statement against conformity and violence. (Criterion)
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Today, unfortunately, a forgotten yet exceptional animated piece that was created in Czech studios with French production during the time of the greatest decline of Czechoslovak cinematography. Fortunately, animated creations were not affected by the purge... Recently, I had the opportunity to see it again on the big screen at Anifest in Třeboň after many years, and I didn't have to compromise my childhood memories, which is exceptional in itself. A fantastic film with remarkable artistic design, an original story, and a unique atmosphere. Comparing this great classic to much younger and more famous films like Final Fantasy feels embarrassing... A film about the abuse of seemingly unshakable power, manipulation, and the inability to listen. And also about the fact that underestimating the small ones doesn't pay off. Overall impression 95%.
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In the words of Varel Frištenský: "It was nice, but I had to see it twice..." Fantastic Planet is strange. I tried to watch it three times, but each time I fell asleep after about a quarter of an hour. Not today. I endured the film, but I have to say... It's nothing special. I liked the main idea of the tame and wild people and when the "peaceful" creatures become completely different and not afraid of violence. But that was (apart from the dubbing) about it. The animation seems dated to me (and yet this cannot be said of films much older than Fantastic Planet), the story and dialogue delivery are terribly dry, without emotion, and the final quarter of an hour is strangely empty, although it was probably meant to be dramatic. It's worth about two and a half stars, but I'm rounding up - purely out of respect for Czech filmmakers who were not afraid to be original and try to make "something different" years ago.
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The incredible animation of this film is not just the work of French artists, but primarily Czech animators who, thanks to Jiří Trnka, were at the forefront in the second half of the 20th century. What's great about this movie is also the fact that it has a story. It may seem playful, but the animation and overall tone give it a rather gloomy atmosphere.
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