The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory
The Art of Czech Animation is the first comprehensive English language account of Czech animation from the 1920s to the present, covering both 2D animation forms and CGI, with a focus upon the stop-motion films of Jirí Trnka, Hermína Týrlová, Jan Švankmajer and Jirí Barta.

Stop-motion is a highly embodied form of animation and The Art of Czech Animation develops a new materialist approach to studying these films. Instead of imposing top-down Film Theory onto its case studies, the book's analysis is built up from close readings of the films themselves, with particular attention given to their non-human objects.

In a time of environmental crisis, the unique way Czech animated films use allegory to de-centre the human world and give a voice to non-human aspects of the natural world points us towards a means by which culture can increase ecological awareness in viewers.

Such a refutation of a human-centred view of the world was contrary to communist orthodoxy and it remains so under late-stage consumer-capitalism. As such, these films do not only offer beautiful examples of allegory, but stand as models of political dissent. The Art of Czech Animation is a unique endeavour of film philosophy to provide a materialist appraisal of a heretofore neglected strand of Central-Eastern European cinema.
1136963214
The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory
The Art of Czech Animation is the first comprehensive English language account of Czech animation from the 1920s to the present, covering both 2D animation forms and CGI, with a focus upon the stop-motion films of Jirí Trnka, Hermína Týrlová, Jan Švankmajer and Jirí Barta.

Stop-motion is a highly embodied form of animation and The Art of Czech Animation develops a new materialist approach to studying these films. Instead of imposing top-down Film Theory onto its case studies, the book's analysis is built up from close readings of the films themselves, with particular attention given to their non-human objects.

In a time of environmental crisis, the unique way Czech animated films use allegory to de-centre the human world and give a voice to non-human aspects of the natural world points us towards a means by which culture can increase ecological awareness in viewers.

Such a refutation of a human-centred view of the world was contrary to communist orthodoxy and it remains so under late-stage consumer-capitalism. As such, these films do not only offer beautiful examples of allegory, but stand as models of political dissent. The Art of Czech Animation is a unique endeavour of film philosophy to provide a materialist appraisal of a heretofore neglected strand of Central-Eastern European cinema.
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The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory

The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory

by Adam Whybray
The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory

The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory

by Adam Whybray

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Overview

The Art of Czech Animation is the first comprehensive English language account of Czech animation from the 1920s to the present, covering both 2D animation forms and CGI, with a focus upon the stop-motion films of Jirí Trnka, Hermína Týrlová, Jan Švankmajer and Jirí Barta.

Stop-motion is a highly embodied form of animation and The Art of Czech Animation develops a new materialist approach to studying these films. Instead of imposing top-down Film Theory onto its case studies, the book's analysis is built up from close readings of the films themselves, with particular attention given to their non-human objects.

In a time of environmental crisis, the unique way Czech animated films use allegory to de-centre the human world and give a voice to non-human aspects of the natural world points us towards a means by which culture can increase ecological awareness in viewers.

Such a refutation of a human-centred view of the world was contrary to communist orthodoxy and it remains so under late-stage consumer-capitalism. As such, these films do not only offer beautiful examples of allegory, but stand as models of political dissent. The Art of Czech Animation is a unique endeavour of film philosophy to provide a materialist appraisal of a heretofore neglected strand of Central-Eastern European cinema.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350104648
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date: 06/25/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

Adam Whybray is Lecturer in Film at the University of Suffolk, UK.
Adam Whybray lectures in Film Studies at the University of Suffolk. He gained his PhD in the Philosophy of Film from the University of Exeter in 2015. He previously contributed the chapter ''Well futile': Nathan Barley and post-ironic culture' to James Leggott and Jamie Sexton's 2013 publication No Known Cure: The Comedy of Chris Morris and has articles published in the journals Comedy Studies, Childhood Remixed and Gothic Studies. He has previously given given conference papers on the fairytale games of Stephen Lavelle and Emily Short, Edgar Allan Poe, the 2010 London student protests and the avant-garde band The Residents. In his spare time he co-hosts Still Scared, a podcast on children's horror, produces text-only video games and is an active member of Extinction Rebellion with his wonderful partner Antonia.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Introduction
1. 'It's the simple things': Animated allegories against Nazi and Soviet oppression
2. Jan Švankmajer and the network of things
3. Jirí Barta and the rhythmic difficulties of living in, or with, time and space
4. Animators reconstructing Prague and Czech identity after the Velvet Revolution

Epilogue
Bibliography
Filmography
Notes
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