Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"The Fly" is a 1981 Hungarian 3-minute short film and it may be among the shortest winner of Oscars in the Best Animated Short Film category. Director Ferenc Rófusz was in his 30s when he made this and he managed to build a decent career on that Oscar success in the last 30 years. Still, nothing that came close to this huge success again, but he could certainly pay his bills from his work in animation. I am generally not too familiar with Hungarian cinema or animation at all, so this was a nice little watch. I really do not like insects, so I probably could not have dealt with that annoying sound from the fly for much longer than 3 minutes, so I'm glad it's over. The animation is fairly unique as well. Looks like it took a lot of effort to make all these images, even if it is such a short movie. All in all, I recommend this. Do not expect anything outstanding, but it's a nice little journey and we find out how a fly sees the world and perceives her constant fight for survival. Thumbs up.
Rectangular_businessman
"A Légy" is a visually impressive animated short from Hungary, which in less than three minutes is able to show a day in the life of a fly.The animation from this short is fairly impressive (specially considering the time when this was made) having a very realistic style and a incredibly level of detail in every frame.The camera shots and perspectives used in "A Légy" were quite interesting, with many movements that would be difficult or impossible to make in a live-action format.Anyway, I loved the unique visual style that this brief animation had, being something way too ahead of its time. The Academy Award was very well deserved.9.5/10
MartinHafer
Most people seeing this film today will probably not be very excited about its graphics--after all, amazing computer generated graphics and techniques are the norm today. But for 1980, this is a truly unusual film and has a great look. The film is the world as seen by a fly. Apparently flies are color blind and everything in the film is sepia tinted. The backgrounds are all painted with a black brush and as the camera follows the path of the fly, they use a fish-eye lens to heighten the effect that you're seeing what the fly is seeing. The actual content, while interesting, isn't that important--it's more the experience of seeing the world from this unusual viewpoint that is the film.Not surprisingly, this film received the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and is a good film for fans of the genre. However, the casual viewer might not be so captivated by this experimental film.
tavm
I just saw this 1980 animated Oscar-winning short from Hungary on Cartoon Brew linked to YouTube. It concerns the point-of-view of the fly as it whisks through various grasses, windows, rooms, and houses. Everything is line drawings with no color with the camera swooshing through in a scenic panorama of speed. Besides the buzzing, you hear piano keys being banged on, windows slamming, and someone swatting. Then you hear human footsteps as that person gets the insect and takes it to a collection of other creatures of that insect's breed...Great visuals and well deserving of the Academy Award. Hard to believe so much was packed in just 3 minutes. A Legy is well worth seeking out.
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