Die Kuh

This takes a bit of effort. It is a bit lost in translation but tells the story of a young Russian boy and his relationship with a cow. He begins raising it and eventually it gives back to the family in so many ways. It focuses on the poverty these people endure and has a striking form of animation I've not seen before.

Aleksandr Petrov again works wonders with his animating skills and his imagination. A young boy narrates to us the story of his life with the family's cow. They are a poor family, living hand to mouth and the animal is their lifeline. It provides the milk, it pulls the plough and when it has a calf, that is sold to put food on the table. The young lad's affection for the beast is palpable and the story unfolds we see how crucial it has been in his growing up - providing an element of stability through the times of uncertainty. There is something a little Dickensian about the style of drawing here, the brush-strokes giving it a grainy and earthy, authentic, look that reflects powerfully the basic subsistence lifestyle his family led, more probably endured. Much of this could be a collection of portraits, and those marry well for ten minutes of touching drama.

Aleksandr Petrov is one of the Soviet Union's most respected animators, and his accomplished use of paint-on-glass animation has made his films instantly recognisable and, above all else, absolutely timeless. Petrov studied at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (abbreviated to VGIK, and known as Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography since 1986), and, throughout the 1980s, refined his animation technique as art director on such films as 'Welcome (1986).' Petrov's directorial debut was 'Marathon (1988),' a short film that is currently unlisted on IMDb {as are countless works of excellent Soviet animation; if only the administrators didn't merely ignore my attempts at updating their database listings}.

However, the animator's breakthrough film was 'Korova / Cow,' a lovely and touching ten minute short about a young boy and his impoverished family's cow. The film received worldwide acclaim and was nominated at the 1990 Academy Awards, though Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein's interesting (but inferior) 'Balance (1989)' ultimately took the Oscar. Nevertheless, Petrov eventually won the award in 2000 for his breathtaking adaptation of 'The Old Man and the Sea (1999).' Petrov's style of animation has often been described as "romantic realism," and this is a generally good summation. His attention-to-detail, especially considering the difficult and time-consuming process of paint-on-glass, is absolutely staggering, and yet the slowly shifting colours and textures create a timeless, dream-like quality. It's as though his films exist in a moment permanently suspended between the real world and the world of our hopes, dreams and memories.

A young boy fondly remembers when his family used to own a beautiful cow. In times of poverty, she was a godsend, always providing mother, father and son with their daily serve of milk. One day, when times get particularly tough, the father is forced to sell the cow's young calf for meat. The heartbroken mother cow suddenly turns silent and obstinate, before breaking free and disappearing perilously into the Russian countryside. Though Petrov ordinarily strives for realism, the film's explosive climax is a wonderful piece of surrealism, as the young boy's dreams feverishly blend key components of the story – the cow, the railway line, the plough – into a singularly devastating conclusion.

his name is enough for define the film. because his animations are, always, fascinating oasis , delicate miracles, admirable example of precise art. in this case, all is the same. the atmosphere, the touching story, the flavor of childhood, the realism who becomes a fairy tale, the grace of colors, the sand on glass who change yourself. because it is more than a beautiful film. it is a precious adventure. portrait of humanity, subtle reflection of unique states of soul, beautiful definition of the importance of small things. and a wonderful trip across the early memories of each viewer.

This is the story about a poor family's cow and a young child's attachment to it.

I have admired the animated films of Aleksandr Petrov for some time, as they are terrific works of art come to life. Not surprisingly, he's won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and been nominated several more times (starting with this film). You just can't help not admiring all the time and effort put into making these lovely films. Apparently, he uses a technique where you paint on glass to make the animations and I have only seen one other artist do similar work (Martine Chartrand and her short BLACK SOUL). The quality of this 1989 piece is about on part with Ms. Chartrand's, though Petrov's newer works are even better--with much higher quality art work and more vibrant colors. While THE COW is lovely, compared to the newer films such as MY LOVE and THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, it is obviously inferior simply because over time his skills have continued to increase. See this film by all means, but also try finding some of his newer films as well--you'll see what I mean and will be impressed by the increased fluidity and quality of the animation.

A lovely film that was justly Oscar nominated.