Spectators

In this whimsical and evocative parable, a master and his servant engage in a battle of wills as they attempt to cross a frozen lake. As they struggle and dance their way across the ice, the reality of who’s really in control becomes increasingly clear.

Like Fantasia (1940) or Allegro Non Troppo (1977), L'Opéra Imaginaire (1993) is an assembly of animated short films based on classic music greats. Directed by some of the best European animators and artists, L'Opéra Imaginaire takes us through dance, theater, music and painting masterpieces. It uses several animation techniques, like stop-motion clay animation or CG characters.

The first of Krumme’s films to incorporate a textual element, Message again treats themes of power and control, but now with an ominous undercurrent of fear. In particular, the film touches on the dangers of nationalism and the imagined resurgence of an oppressive and deadly authority.

Two men, each holding one end of a rope, perform an intricate dance on, in, and through a square figure.

The film is based on a scene in Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. The inmates of the Seville prison are kept in dark cells without daylight. Now, for the first time after years, they are allowed to see the sun. Light as a metaphor for freedom.