The Soldier's Tale

1984 ""

The Soldier's Tale

7.3 | en | Animation

A soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin. The stranger is none other than the devil.

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7.3 | en | Animation | More Info

Released: January. 01,1984 | Released Producted By: GBH , R.O. Blechman Inc. Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

A soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin. The stranger is none other than the devil.

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The movie is currently not available onine

Cast

Andre Gregory , Dušan Makavejev , Theodore Gottlieb

Director

Christian Blackwood

Producted By

GBH , R.O. Blechman Inc.

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Trailers & Images

Cast

Andre Gregory

as Narrator (voice)

A Master Builder Goodbye Lover Vanya on 42nd Street The Linguini Incident Some Girls Street Smart Follies In Concert The Mosquito Coast The Soldier's Tale

Dušan Makavejev

as Ilya Grigorivich Vertov, The Soldier

The Soldier's Tale

Theodore Gottlieb

as The Drill Sergeant / The Herald

To My Great Chagrin The 'Burbs The Soldier's Tale The Return of the King Nocturna The Hobbit Apple Pie Massage Parlor Murders

Reviews

tavm Anyone who's read many of my comments here know what an animation buff I am. So it was as one that I decided to check out R. O. Blechman's The Soldier's Tale from my local library. Based on compositions by Igor Stravinsky and a popular Russian folktale, this concerns a soldier's post-war trials and tribulations after making a deal with the devil to trade his beloved violin for a book that guides him to his future. Various styles of animation come together to form a mostly cohesive whole with Fred Mogubgub, Bill Littlejohn, and Tissa David among the animators. Among the voices, Max von Sydow provides his charming self as Satan. Might be confusing at times but The Soldier's Tale never gets boring. Well worth seeing for animation fans.

Randal_Perrelet I rented this film on VHS many years ago and found it striking. R.O. Blechman's animation style is at first very odd and Stravinsky is composer that people either love or loath. This was composed in 1918, only five years after The Rite of Spring. The original texts were in French (L'Histoire du Soldat), but this production is in English. A Soldier's Tale is a modern parable and was a reaction to the trauma of World War One. Max von Sydow brings a distinguished presence to the film and is simply superb as the Devil. If you give this film a chance, you will no doubt be drawn into its little world. It has just been released to DVD and is now available after a long absence.

Don_Mac A must for Stravinsky fans. This is a great animated adaptation of Stravinsky's short piece "A Soldier's Tale" ("L'Histoire du Soldat"). The basic plot is about a battle between the soldier and the devil (taken from Russian folk tales). Its very creatively drawn and the music is, of course, excellent.

msa-3 This is a brilliantly animated take on Stravinsky's ballet.Tissa David's animation gives the show a solidity, character and a presence that takes it above others. Fred Burns' animation gives it a lyricism that can't be matched. And Fred Mogubgub's animation gives it an abstraction and a surrealism that takes it beyond the world of the imagination and gives it a life of its own. It's a beautiful film. Though a bit confusing in its storytelling it's thrilling to watch just for the graphics and the music. Deservedly won its EMMY Award in 1977. Kudos to R.O. Blechaman for initiating it and pulling it all together.