Nonureva Really Surprised!

Lawbolisted Powerful

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

MartinHafer "The Last Trick of Mr. Schwarcewallde and Mr. Edgar" was the first movie of the master stop-motion filmmaker, Jan Svankmajer. Because it was the first he directed, it's not at all surprising that the picture seems more like a demonstration of his many talents instead of a coherent story.Using giant wooden heads on real human bodies, Svankmajer has these two musicians do a lot of goofy things...including cranking up their heads to make them work. Much of it is NOT stop-motion but many scenes were done live using folks dressed in black to move objects and give the appearance as if they are moving on their own. Impressive as a first film and worth seeing if you are a fan.

disdressed12 this is the first short film i have seen from Czech animator Jan Svankmajer,and it is actually is also the first film he has directed.i wasn't sure what to expect to expect,but i liked it.it's basically about two duelling magicians trying to one up each other.each trick gets more bizarre than the last.i won't give way the end.the characters are both wooden puppets,and the animation,though it may seem crude by today's standards,is actually not bad for 1964.it is certainly strange,but to me that's the appeal.it certainly won't be the last Svankmajer film i watch,as i have purchased two collections of his works.for me The Last Trick is a 6/10.

ccthemovieman-1 This was my first look at a Jan Svankmejer short film, and wow, it was strange. There is a lot to see in this movie after the slow beginning few minutes.The story is simple: two musicians sit on stage and try to outdo each other. They take turns doing very bizarre things. This is kind of simpler puppet presentation of a film I saw this year called "The Prestige." The latter obviously was a lot more complicated being a two-hour feature movie but you don't see many films, short or long, animated or "real," involving competing magicians. This 11- minute film was done almost 45 years ago, too. These puppets, from the neck down, move almost like humans. Their heads are more like masks. The tricks involve each one opening up his own head and having really strange things happen from that point. You have to see these "tricks" to believe it.The story also features the two guys' sportsmanship, which proves to be pretty shallow. Incredibly, normal handshakes in the beginning give way to unbelievable violence. This is quite different, to say the least, and I am looking to seeing other works by this Czech filmmaker.

Polaris_DiB For a first film by a person newly integrated into the surrealist group, this film shows an amazing level of clarity and craftsmanship. I'm always impressed when I can watch a movie made well before digital manipulation that contains hidden aspects of cinematography and cutting that are more effective than what we've decided to accept as the fashionable form today.Two characters are trying to one-up each other with amazing magical/mechanical tricks. The characters are anthropomorphic, slightly robot-like, and many times confuse me as to whether they're puppets or humans playing them. The tricks themselves are surprising and eventful, and their feud is pleasantly silly.Jan Svankmajer is definitely one of those filmmakers that cinephiles cannot afford to miss. He provides consistently amazing work which is absolutely inspiring in its own way. Starting with this very short may be a great way to be introduced to Svankmajer's oeuvre.--PolarisDiB