dreamdead
12-02-2007, 01:26 AM
Fantastic Planet
rec: Stay Puft
http://www.oorei.com/imagenes/post/fantastic.planet.animacion.yea rs.70.rene.laloux.jpg
René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet (1973), like all great dystopian works, derives much of its primary power from the strength of its social critique. While ostensibly concerned with a speculative universe and the domineering Traag race, Laloux’s film also functions as an indictment against oppressive totalitarian regimes like the USSR’s regime. Accordingly, these pleas for tolerance are transparent and thus challenge notions of ethnic supremacy. They also lend the film greater resonance than it already has, since these extratextual innuendos give greater legitimacy to the film’s purpose as anti-propaganda.
In terms of a brief synopsis, the film follows young Terr, a male human who is kept and collared by a young female Traag. Unlike most, she shows some degree of compassion toward him and contributes to his growth in knowledge about her and her kind. Terr gains access to a mind device that synthesizes education directly into the brain, and thus comes to consciousness. Fleeing his prison, he finds shelter with other dissidents, yet they all struggle to exist in these subhuman conditions, where alien animals and the Traags constantly threaten their survival.
It seems regressive by now to mention the wonder of Laloux and his animators’ surreal animation, but the sparse images are immaculate and frightening in their conceptual power. There’s a real primacy to these creature designs precisely because they are so subtle in their difference. They appear as if they are a part of some negative evolution. Even the obviousness of the scale between the humans and the Traags is somehow chilling, since the scale is so metaphorically drawn and particularized. Because of this range, the ease in which the Traags decide to extinguish the humans becomes especially haunting. While the images here are drawn crudely, the deed itself is crude; thus, Laloux successfully combines the thematic value into his structure.
Given the effectiveness of the images, I must also point out how crucial Alain Goraguer's score is to establishing the tonal mood. Frequently utilizing (seemingly free-form) jazz structures, the film internalizes this alien sense that is projected onto its narrative, which yields another dimension to the sense of tolerance mentioned above. The whole affair feels very surreal yet it is also very organic, and thus it becomes open, liberating, and very much like a dialogue between the senses. It is a wonder to experience, and it’s highly recommended to anyone interested in how the arts are used for social, political, or cultural commentary.
Check out this link for deeper thoughts (http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/05/35/fantastic_planet.html).
****
rec: Stay Puft
http://www.oorei.com/imagenes/post/fantastic.planet.animacion.yea rs.70.rene.laloux.jpg
René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet (1973), like all great dystopian works, derives much of its primary power from the strength of its social critique. While ostensibly concerned with a speculative universe and the domineering Traag race, Laloux’s film also functions as an indictment against oppressive totalitarian regimes like the USSR’s regime. Accordingly, these pleas for tolerance are transparent and thus challenge notions of ethnic supremacy. They also lend the film greater resonance than it already has, since these extratextual innuendos give greater legitimacy to the film’s purpose as anti-propaganda.
In terms of a brief synopsis, the film follows young Terr, a male human who is kept and collared by a young female Traag. Unlike most, she shows some degree of compassion toward him and contributes to his growth in knowledge about her and her kind. Terr gains access to a mind device that synthesizes education directly into the brain, and thus comes to consciousness. Fleeing his prison, he finds shelter with other dissidents, yet they all struggle to exist in these subhuman conditions, where alien animals and the Traags constantly threaten their survival.
It seems regressive by now to mention the wonder of Laloux and his animators’ surreal animation, but the sparse images are immaculate and frightening in their conceptual power. There’s a real primacy to these creature designs precisely because they are so subtle in their difference. They appear as if they are a part of some negative evolution. Even the obviousness of the scale between the humans and the Traags is somehow chilling, since the scale is so metaphorically drawn and particularized. Because of this range, the ease in which the Traags decide to extinguish the humans becomes especially haunting. While the images here are drawn crudely, the deed itself is crude; thus, Laloux successfully combines the thematic value into his structure.
Given the effectiveness of the images, I must also point out how crucial Alain Goraguer's score is to establishing the tonal mood. Frequently utilizing (seemingly free-form) jazz structures, the film internalizes this alien sense that is projected onto its narrative, which yields another dimension to the sense of tolerance mentioned above. The whole affair feels very surreal yet it is also very organic, and thus it becomes open, liberating, and very much like a dialogue between the senses. It is a wonder to experience, and it’s highly recommended to anyone interested in how the arts are used for social, political, or cultural commentary.
Check out this link for deeper thoughts (http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/05/35/fantastic_planet.html).
****