Product Details

• Actors: Cartoon Noir
• Directors: Paul Vester, Julie Zammarchi, Jiri Barta, Piotr Dumala, Suzan Pitt
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: November 21, 2000
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004YKP7
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,258 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cartoon Noir" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The outstanding film in this collection is Pedro Serrazino's elegant "The Story of the Cat and the Moon," the tale of a frustrated lover of an elusive feline. The artist skillfully juxtaposes areas of black and white, and plays with reflections and reversed images to create a graceful, pleasing visual essay. The rest of the collection consists of "B" and "C" level films from the festival circuit that offer an occasional interesting moment or striking image, but fail as sustained narratives. Jiri Barta uses live-action footage and stop-motion animation of crumbling department store mannequins to present a grim commentary on the regimented life of contemporary urban society in the overly long "Club of the Discarded." Paul Vester cuts between grainy live action and various animated styles to illustrate "interviews, hypnotic regression tapes, and original drawings" by supposed alien abduction victims. The array of animated visuals remains less than the sum of its parts, and the viewer is left with the feeling that Vester has exploited his unimpressive subjects. Julie Zammarchi uses a similar palette of visuals styles in "Ape," but the results amount to little more than a shaggy-dog--or -monkey--story. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up for sexual situations, nudity, and grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon

Product Description

CARTOON NOIR is an anthology of six animated short films from around the world that go far beyond mainstream studio animation by delving into magic, mystery and the darker side of humanity.

ABDUCTEES, an award-winning UK production by Paul Vester, takes five true tales of people who believe they were abducted by aliens and, using their drawings and descriptions as the starting point for the animation, creates a superbly visual film that utilizes a wide range of animated techniques.

APE, American Julie Zammarchi's darkly comic animation is a statement about monogamy and the patterns of daily survival, featuring a grouchy, married couple who battle over their nightly dinner--a cooked, whole monkey!

CLUB OF THE DISCARDED is Czech filmmaker Jiri Barta's 30 minute piece inspired by master animator Jan Svankmajer. An amusingly grim commentary on the Czech Republic, Club tells the story of a family of discarded mannequins who enjoy a quiet life in an abandoned warehouse until a group of hipster mannequins move in and ruin the neighborhood.

GENTLE SPIRIT (LAGODNA) This Polish award-winner by Piotr Dumala, derived from a Dostoyevsky story, depicts the psychological landscape-- fraught with entrapment and violence-- between a young woman and an ominous male figure.

JOY STREET is American Suzan Pitt's ambitious and astonishing story of a woman's journey from suicidal despair to personal renewal, with the help of an unlikely animated muse. Underscoring her environmental concerns, Pitt's film is about our psychological and spiritual need to preserve nature and our ability to survive through imagination.

THE STORY OF THE CAT AND THE MOON (ESTORIA DO GATO E DA LUA) by Pedro Serrazina has been internationally celebrated in over 70 film festivals. This Portuguese mini-epic of unrequited love follows a cat beguiled by an always out-of-reach moon.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One fabulous feature...five that are a drag, December 17, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cartoon Noir (DVD)

There is one really wonderful feature here, The Story of The Cat And The Moon. It is the story of an aging cat who is quite mad and utterly in love with the moon. Wonderful black and white imaging and exquisite story monologue. It is probably worth owning this DVD just for this one feature alone. The other five are not so much noir as just deadly boring and depressing. You should try to see this before you buy it, as it is really not for all tastes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Five strange, sustained visions, January 18, 2007

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cartoon Noir (DVD)

Jiri Barta's "Club of the Discarded" is my favorite of this bunch, a stop-animation featuring outdated and damaged mannequins. It comes across as eerie but ambiguous, leaving a lotfor the viewer to bring to the imagery. Serrazina's "Story of the Cat and the Moon" is elegant and eloquent, a sweet dessert for finishing off this visual feast. Other pieces, including "Abductees," didn't do as much for me - I just don't feel any need to respond to alien abduction stories in a serious way, and Vester missed the huge potential for commenting on the many human weaknesses involved.

It's a mixed bag with, including some very strong selections. If you like animation that explores off the beaten path, you'll probably enjoy this, or parts of it.

//wiredweird

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Own DVD!, October 22, 2000

By 

Win Martin (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cartoon Noir (DVD)

Having been one of the lucky people who had the chance to see this remarkable anthology in theaters, I'm in the unique position of being able to recommend it to AMAZON shoppers. If you are a fan of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS or SPIKE & MIKE'S ANIMATIONS FESTIVALS, or just an animation fan in general, I highly encourage you to pick up this disc, even if you haven't seen it. This is an accomplished piece of work that can be watched and rewatched several times, and contains some truly breathtaking pieces of animation. The filmmakers behind these pieces are truly masters of mood, not to mention ingenious for attempting to merge film noir with animation. A wonderful investment.