Nightangel

Another reviewer tried to describe the techniques used in this film.

Nightangel is available on DVD from the National Film Board of Canada on a compilation of Jacques Drouin's works. Also featured on the disc is a short documentary that shows the filming of the seminal "Le Paysagiste" that uses the pin board technique in a superlative way.

The Pin board is a frame by frame animation technique in which hundreds of thousands in tiny nails or pins are planted into holes and pushed in or pulled out in order to create a shadowed image.

Bretislave Pojar served an apprenticeship with the great Czech animator Jiri Trnka before emigrating to Canada and becoming one of the great NFB animation artists.

Nightangel is a meeting of the great 3d puppet animation of Pojar and the pinboard animation of Drouin.

Beautiful animation on the realist side. Dramatic music well chosen. When a man becomes blind, his life is all turned around. He can only use his touch to get around in his house. The objects become enemies. But an angel is looking over him. The angel helps him in many ways. Strong feelings at the end of this great short film.

Out of 100, I gave it 87. That's good for ***½ out of ****.

Seen in Sudbury, on December 31st, 2002.