Le hérisson dans le brouillard

This is one of the most brilliant animated movies I've ever seen. It shows all the little things and the way you can possibly look at it. The Story is touching, and there's something magical at the images...And the whole "world" you see in the movie. This really might change the way you look at the world...

Yuriy Norshteyn's 'Tale of Tales (1979)' is an undisputed masterpiece of Russian animation, a spectacularly beautiful journey into the depths of the mind, and sometimes held as the single greatest animated film of all time, a title that I would wholeheartedly endorse. The direct predecessor to 'Tale of Tales,' Norshteyn's 'Hedgehog in the Mist' is held in much the same high regard and, whilst I don't think it is quite as good, the fact remains that it is a stunning piece of Russian animated cinema.

I had to watch this film twice. The first time around, not understanding a word of Russian, I decided to sit back and just enjoy the images presented to me. Though I greatly enjoyed the beauty and intricate detail of the animation, I was ultimately unsatisfied with some parts of the story that I couldn't quite decipher, without which I was unable to unlock the deeper meaning of the work. Where, for example, was the hedgehog heading that night? What was he carrying in the bundle? Why was he compelled to follow the white horse into the unknown of the mist? After viewing translations for some of the key pieces of dialogue and narration, I approached the film a second time. Armed with a better knowledge of the finer points of the story, I was able to more fully appreciate the beauty of Norshteyn's film, and how the stunning animation and spoken words complement each other. For example, on that fateful evening, the hedgehog was going to meet his friend the bear, whom he meets with every time to drink tea, count the stars and have conversations. In the bundle, he carries a jar of raspberry marmalade that he has prepared for the occasion.

As for why the hedgehog decided to descend into the mist, we are told that it is because he wonders if the beautiful white horse would suffocate if he lies down in the fog. I think, however, that it is something much more than that. It is the lure of the unknown. The low-lying mist presents to him all life's beauty and terror, satisfying an underlying desire for the excitement and adventure of the unfamiliar, a means of breaking down the monotony of his usual safe and routine existence. This unconscious thirst for adventure exists in all of us, and the hedgehog is one who felt compelled to take that extra step into the mist. Despite being terrified and shaken by the experience, it nonetheless has changed him, and he will carry the memory with him for the rest of his life, and his daily routine will forever seem mundane in comparison. For the first time in his life, rather than merely counting the stars in the sky, the hedgehog was inspired to reach towards them.

The animation itself, it need not be said, is truly a beautiful achievement. Like in all his films, Norshteyn's animation has a certain timelessness about it, seeming to exist in a world that I'm sure we've all visited in our dreams. The fog effects, so crucial to the atmosphere of the film, were created by putting an extremely thin piece of paper on top of the scene and slowly lifting it frame-by-frame toward the camera until everything behind it became blurry and white. To describe this film as beautiful would simply be an understatement.

This is the cartoon film that I love, love with all my heart. This is the little wonderful story that I adore and still watch every time it is on the TV. Why? Well, the plot is amazingly simple - a little sweet helpless hedgehog is lost in the dense fog on his was to his friend, a bear, who awaits him for a tea with jam. The hedgehog is afraid, he is overcoming his innate fear of the dark, of some imaginary evil creatures, of the unknown and the new. He is encountered by a kind dog, a hilariously nervous owl, a kind fish that helps him out of the river, and finally he is at the bear's place... But the music, the very magic, sweet, mesmerizing feeling! This is a touching little story about a kid lost in the dark alone and trying to get out of it. This is a deep philosophical story about the quest for new and unknown things... This is a grand Anthem to the Freindship, Bravery and Curiosity. I love this excellent film. It is incredible...

It is quite possible this will not appeal to Western audience. You cannot explain what it's about. All you have are those vague emotional harmonics, and image is too subtle, too airy and blurry, and has almost no color... I remember a guy working in a game publishing company explaining the differences in national color perception to me - Russia prefers barely saturated colors, while in the US and especially Japan it's all about contrast and max saturation. The same for emotions, and the same for the plot - the stuff which appeals to westerners is always literal and to the point, while for Russians it should always be about hints and fuzzy shadows, as no one knows what he's living for...

However, I would still advise you to try this short cartoon - you might love it...

Russian, and for that matter, most East European animation, is a world away from Disney's sanitised world where nothing bad ever happens. While Disney strived for animation perfection, where the movement of Snow White's dress is more important than the story, the European and Soviet school of animation was always more about the story.

"Hedgehog in the fog" is one of the best examples of the difference between the two schools of animation. If Disney had made it, the little Hedgehog would probably have been reduced to a Winnie the Pooh type creature and no doubt there would have been a catchy song or two to jolly it all along. All the other animals would have had speaking parts, there would have been jokes and no doubt there would have been a big musical finale when Hedgehog and Bear are re-united around the camp fire.

So it's a good job that it was made by Yuri Norstein instead.

What he made is a beautiful, lyrical and deceptively simple animated story of how a curious little hedgehog takes a detour through the mysterious fog on the way to see his friend, the little bear, gets lost and then finds his way out again. But there is much, much more in this little movie than just that. Like many great works of art it adopts the philosophy that less is more. There is nothing superfluous here. Not a single frame is wasted. The stop motion animation, like the illustrations, has a magical, dreamlike quality. The unsaturated, almost monochrome colours of the backgrounds takes us into the real magical world of fairy tales and fantasy in a way that Disney et al could never manage. Indeed, it is the absolute simplicity of this wonderful little movie that makes it so beautiful to watch. The dreamlike quality of the images is enhanced still further by the haunting musical score. The sparse narration is gravely intoned like a beautiful Russian poem. The words themselves don't really matter, it is the effect of the sound of the voice that is important. It doesn't matter if you don't understand Russian, the story is told by the images.

Images and symbolism, music and dreams, all combine to make a great little movie. Or you can see it just as a simple story if you wish. With Disney and the others you just get the simple story.

There are moments of exquisite beauty that transcend description. When the Hedgehog first walks into the mist, like an awe struck child he whispers that he can't even see his paw! This moment alone is worth the price of the movie. As is the moment when he calls to the white horse. All he says is "Loshad!"(horse, in Russian) but it's the way he says it. Almost everything about this film has the innocence and wonder of a child's view of the world. The inquisitiveness of a child exploring an unfamiliar and slightly frightening world for the first time. A journey into the unknown, like the journey through life. To get somewhere you sometimes have to leave the well trodden path. It ends up in the same place but you see a whole new world on the way. The world is a beautiful place and there are many places to see. There are countless paths we can take and most of them have no maps to guide us. All we need is a little courage, a little fear and the belief that there is always a light to show us the way through the mist. The light of love and friendship.

The final moments tell another story too. Watch the expressions of the bear and the hedgehog as they talk. The bear is so relieved to know his friend has arrived safely but also because it means his life of routine and order is restored. He needs the hedgehog to count the stars and to bring raspberry jam because that's how it has always been. Without the hedgehog his world would fall apart. He is safe within his comfort zone, happy to live his life without change, without challenge, without fear. He's happy to count the stars but would never once think about reaching for them. But the hedgehog is different. Watch the expression, almost of regret, as he listens to the bear. He has seen the world in a different way, he has seen the magical world inside the mist, another dimension. He has felt the excitement of exploring new worlds, the fear of being lost, new emotions, new friends. And as he sits on the log with the bear, he thinks about the white horse in the mist. How is she?

You can draw your own metaphorical conclusions.

But we know that the Hedgehog's world will never be the same again.

Neither will mine.

Thank you to Annushka for the light.

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