User reviews

The simplicity of Le cauchemar de Fantoche gives it a kind of timelessness that is unique for a film so old (for any film in fact - ones that once seemed fresh and original can quickly becomes dated). It consists of a series of sketches drawn in white line on a black background, and the stream of consciousness format of the unfolding images also lends it a surreal air that makes it fascinating to watch. It's also quite puzzling, and it would be easy to over-analyse what we see in order to make some sense of it all when the only thing Cohl was probably trying to do was create a piece of entertainment. Whatever you think about that, you probably will be entertained by this brief oddity.

"The Puppet's Nightmare" (Le cauchemar de Fantoche) is impossible to assign a numerical score to, as it's one of the very earliest animated films and it's so unique. After all, to what can you compare it?! Emile Cohl made this film. It is a very simple sort of animation--done in a less than simple manner. It consists of white childish drawings on a black background. But then it gets odd, the drawing CONSTANTLY morphs and changes in a strange stream of consciousness. While it's not something I'd want to watch for a long period of time, it is short as well as an interesting experiment. Worth seeing if you are an art student or an insane fan of animation (like me). Otherwise, it's one you can pass up and still lead a complete and full life!

The Puppet's Nightmare (1908)

*** (out of 4)

Emile Cohl directed the very first animated movie ever made and this one here was made shortly after. The "story" is pretty simple as someone is having a nightmare and they pretty much can't escape. If you're looking for a well-detailed plot then you're obviously not going to find it here. What this two-minute animated short does do is show you the horror genre way before it actually became a genre on its own. This is basically an animated version of something Georges Melies probably would have made. The animation itself is quite good for the time and I enjoyed its story of something being caught up in something that they can't escape.