Paradis

Focusing on the colors of birds in a sultan's "paradise," a simple blackbird tries to be what he is not. He steals from other birds, feathers, eggs, and so on, but he is only a rainstorm away from failure. The color here is breathtaking and the recorder music gives it such a mideastern sense. Excellent animation.

This is a lovely animated short. The basic plot question is poses is: which is preferable, a beautiful gilded cage, or your freedom?

The director is of Indian (as in south Asian) heritage, and it shows. Paradise looks a lot like the Taj Mahal. This short was done with a combination of computer and cell animation, and is quite pretty to look at. The vivid colors associated with India and the tropics are the predominant palettes used in this film.

This is a more attractive film to look at than, say, "Balance", which won the same Oscar in the early 90's. However, the moral from "Balance" has stayed in my head since I saw it years ago. I'm not sure that the same will be true for this film.

Anyone remember Miles Malleson's Caliph in "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940)? Well that's who the emperor reminded me of here as he strolls though his magnificent palace to watch a beautiful bird of paradise dart and dance, it's delicate plumage elegantly displayed, it's performance stunning amidst the opulence of his setting. Outside, there's a simple blackbird who looks on longingly. If only! Well, he collects some fallen feathers and petals from his environment and dresses up. He hopes to convince the Sultan that he, too, is a creature of beauty. The thing is, once he's inside he slowly realises that he's lost one thing. His freedom. He can no longer flit about pleasing himself - his new purpose would solely be to please someone else. Which might he choose? The colours used her are vibrant and the choreography of the birds is gorgeous to follow for quarter of an hour whilst listening to the familiar sounds of Gheorghe Zamfir's distinctive pan-flute.

This is a strange and fascinating film from Ishu Patel. Instead of the normal Western-style narrative, this animated short is one long piece of art--obviously inspired by Indian paintings of birds, people and the afterlife. All this gorgeous action unfolds slowly and is accompanied by the ethereal music of Gheorghe Zamfir--an internationally known (except in the US) panpipes legend whose music I have loved for years. Combined, it's an absolutely inspiring and breathtaking piece of art.

Because it was such a lovely film, it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film--which it lost to CHARADE. I don't know exactly how I feel about this, as I've seen both. CHARADE is funny and very clever but a rather superficial film. PARADISE is more a work of art and less a film for the public at large. Personally, I am happy either way, as they both were delights--too bad they couldn't give the award to both!!

Contrary to the summary of the other reviewer, this excellent short did NOT win the Oscar (Charade, another excellent short that year, was the winner) but I think it should have won. An exceptionally beautiful and fascinating animation, the colors are breath-taking and the detail is incredible! A production of the National Film Board of Canada, this is a wonderful short and well worth the efforts to locate. Most highly recommended.