A Christmas Dream

A Christmas Dream (Czech: Vánoční sen) is a 1945 Czechoslovak short film directed by Karel Zeman and Bořivoj Zeman.

A Christmas Dream
Directed by
Written byKarel Zeman
CinematographyPavel Hrdlička
Edited byZdenek Stehlík
Music byJiří Šust
Release dates
  • 1945 (1945) (Czechoslovakia)
  • 1948 (1948) (United States)
LanguagesCzech
English

Plot

Under the family Christmas tree, a young girl finds that she has been given a collection of new toys. Happily taking them in her arms, she tosses aside her old rag doll. That night, the girl dreams that the rag doll, abandoned on the floor, comes silently to life to entertain her. The rag doll dances across a piano and skates across a table. The new toys, also coming to life, join the antics. The rag doll, turning on an electric fan, is blown about and nearly knocks over a vase as it attempts to avoid falling off the table. The girl, getting out of bed, saves the vase and takes the doll in her arms. The girl wakes up to find her rag doll still on the floor.

Production

The film was Karel Zeman's first experiment in combining stop-motion animation with live-action footage, a process he continued to explore in his later feature films, beginning with Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955) and The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958).[1] The pioneering animator Hermína Týrlová also reportedly participated in the production.[2][3]

Release

In the United States, the film was released by Universal-International in 1948. An abridgement of the American version for home projection was sold by Castle Films from 1949 through 1965.[4] The American version replaces the wordless Czech soundtrack with new audio, including a voice for the rag doll; it also includes new footage in which Santa Claus, appearing by magic, sends the Christmas dream to the girl.[5]

Reception and legacy

In their history of Eastern European films, Mira Liehm and Antonín J. Liehm called A Christmas Dream "a classic of its genre."[6] Scott MacGillivray, in a review of the Castle Films version, wrote that "the Zemans' stop-motion effects are truly extraordinary."[4] Le Parisien called the film "magical" and rated it four stars out of a possible four.[7]

The film was screened at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival,[2] where it won the Grand Prix International for best short fiction film.[8]

The dubbed version was spoofed by RiffTrax[9] on December 21, 2009.[10]

See also

References
  1. Sadoul, Georges (1972), Dictionary of Film Makers, Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 286, ISBN 9780520021518
  2. Batistová, Anna (2013), "Glorious Agfacolor, breathtaking Totalvision and monophonic sound: Colour and 'scope' in Czechoslovakia", in Brown, Simon; Street, Sarah; Watkins, Liz I. (eds.), Color and the Moving Image: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Archive, New York: Routledge, p. 48, ISBN 9781136307898
  3. Priebe, Ken A. (2007), The Art of Stop-Motion Animation, Boston: Thomson Course Technology, p. 21, ISBN 978-1598632453
  4. MacGillivray, Scott (2004), Castle Films: A Hobbyist's Guide, New York: iUniverse, p. 124, ISBN 9780595324910
  5. Karel and Bořivoj Zeman [uncredited] (1948), A Christmas Dream (short film), Universal-International
  6. Liehm, Mira; Liehm, Antonín J. (1977), The Most Important Art: Eastern European Film After 1945, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 9780520031579
  7. R.B. (21 January 2015), ""Rêve de Noël": magique", Le Parisien, retrieved 7 February 2015
  8. "Awards 1946: Competition", Festival de Cannes: Archives, Festival de Cannes, retrieved 7 February 2015
  9. RiffTrax: A Guide to Christmas and Holiday Episodes|Den of Geek
  10. RiffTrax
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