Log in
The Toreador's Couplets

The Toreador's Couplets

1990 · 3 min · Animation, Music

A film miniature set to classical music. A film joke. Sketches of houses are drawn on the musical score. A mouse creeps before a sleeping cat. A caretaker dozes on a bench, and a crow sleeps beside him. In the silence, the caretaker's snores and the mouse's slinking footsteps can be heard. Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass awakens everyone. Two boys appear in the frame. Seeing the dozing cat, they begin chasing it. In a panic, the cat overturns garbage cans, rips apart laundry lines, and finally hides in a tree. The cat rescues the mouse from its predicament, stuffing it in a mousehole, only to treat it as a "trophy" moments later. The mouse is dressed as a bullfighter. Numerous gags contrasting with the solemn music make the film highly entertaining.

Directed by Jacek Adamczak · Written by Jacek Adamczak

Your Rating

More from Jacek AdamczakSee all →

Glass MountainGlass Mountain · 2002
Glass Mountain
2002
MovieAnimation
In a small village, in a modest cottage, lived a mother with her three sons. Each of them was different. The eldest stood out for his strength and beauty, the middle one for his knowledge, and the youngest for his love of nature. Everyone made fun of the youngest. Once, they sent Jędrek to a nearby forest called the Black Forest. There, the young man met a dangerous sorcerer who was holding a beautiful princess captive on Glass Mountain. Upon returning home, Jędrek shared this news with his loved ones. The brothers decided to defeat the evil sorcerer and free the princess, but each of them had a different goal in mind.
Poznan BillygoatsPoznan Billygoats · 2009
Poznan Billygoats
2009
Movie
A Countess from Poznań returns from a foreign trip and brings with her two billygoats as live mascots. The next day she goes to the Mayor and demands that the clocks on the Town Hall’s tower play a tune at the top of every hour – and that she play the tune herself. Since the Mayor refuses her demand, the Countess decides to destroy the clocks. Film from the ‘Polish Fairy Tales’ series.
SurvivalSurvival · 2025
Survival
2025
Movie
The film Survival offers a grotesque critique of homelessness and environmental decay through a unique blend of live-action and diverse animation techniques, including pixilation and 3D. As an auteur project, it integrates these styles seamlessly to create a striking artistic vision. Its scenography embraces upcycling or "trash art," echoing Marcel Duchamp’s legacy of elevating banal objects into profound art. By incorporating street art and graffiti, the film sparks dialogue about art’s role in society. This innovative approach transforms waste into priceless commentary, challenging viewers to reconsider their surroundings and the nature of creativity itself.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Menuett AllegrettoEine Kleine Nachtmusik - Menuett Allegretto · 1993
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Menuett Allegretto
1993
MovieAnimationMusic
From the series of animated films to classical music.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Rondo AllegroEine Kleine Nachtmusik - Rondo Allegro · 1991
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Rondo Allegro
1991
MovieAnimationMusic
A film miniature set to classical music. In the living room, a musical quartet plays a piece by Mozart. The gathered guests, however, are more preoccupied with themselves than with the music. A waiter serves drinks. Distinguished ladies sit in armchairs and are observed by one of the men. His gaze settles on a young woman. Soon, both disappear from the living room. A bored little boy stands among the audience. He tries to slip away unnoticed, but his efforts fail. Nearby, a grandfather dozes in a wheelchair. He is constantly awakened by loud music. A buzzing fly disturbs the solemn mood. Only the musical quartet is completely absorbed in the incredibly lively performance of the piece.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Romanze AndanteEine Kleine Nachtmusik - Romanze Andante · 1995
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Romanze Andante
1995
MovieAnimationMusic
A film miniature set to classical music. At dawn, the outlines of a park are visible. The gate opens, and distinguished strollers fill the park. Musicians take their places in the park gazebo and prepare for a concert. A woman with a dog on a leash, a couple on horseback, and men on bicycles cross a bridge over a stream. Kites appear in the sky. A governess energetically enters the idyllic parkscape, dragging her resisting ward behind her. The boy is clearly in the mood for mischief, which he quickly expresses. In the blink of an eye, the peaceful atmosphere is shattered.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - AllegroEine Kleine Nachtmusik - Allegro · 1993
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Allegro
1993
MovieAnimationMusic
A film miniature set to classical music. Carriages arrive at the opera house. The audience rushes to the performance. Men and women scan the audience. The conductor enters the proscenium. The lights go out in the audience. Music rings out. Suddenly, an opera singer appears in front of the curtain. The startled prompter flips through the pages of the score. The singer approaches the prompter's booth and snatches the score from his hands. The scattered pages fall onto the disoriented orchestra. The stage manager lowers the curtain, but the singer violently pulls it back and steps onto the proscenium to sing her aria. The outraged audience protests, throwing top hats and umbrellas onto the stage. The discordant notes of the operatic aria reach the basement and awaken the Ghost of the Opera.
Memories of AlhambraMemories of Alhambra · 1992
Memories of Alhambra
1992
MovieAnimationMusic
A miniature from a series of animated films illustrated with classical music.
How we were looking for LailoniaHow we were looking for Lailonia · 2011
How we were looking for Lailonia
2011
Movie
How we were looking for Lailonii. Film is a part of the series "14 tales from the Lajlonia Leszek Kołakowski Kingdom".
About the Blacksmith and the DevilAbout the Blacksmith and the Devil · 2004
About the Blacksmith and the Devil
2004
MovieAnimation
Film from the series Polish Tales and Fables, season 1 (based on the legend of Wielkopolska 'O Macieku Borkowicu i diable Boruta'). A certain mayor leads a life of debauchery and plunder. He makes his own rules within his own territory. He feels only respect for Wojtek, a member of the Blacksmith family, who helps everyone, advises everyone, and, most importantly, imprisons the local devils, imps, and imps of all kinds in a willow tree. The mayor avoids encounters with the blacksmith as much as possible. Since he's constantly short on gold, he makes a pact with the devil Boruta. However, he reneges on the terms of the agreement, and the devil seeks the blacksmith's help. Together, they concoct a ruse. The mayor is thrown into prison. The blacksmith frees all the devils—on the condition, of course, that they never return to the area.
About a Lumberjack and the DevilsAbout a Lumberjack and the Devils · 2015
About a Lumberjack and the Devils
2015
MovieAnimation
A story showing that the devil is not as black as he is painted.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Serenade in G major, KV 525Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Serenade in G major, KV 525 · 1995
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Serenade in G major, KV 525
1995
MovieAnimationMusic
From a series of animated films set to classical music. Classical animation created using painting techniques on paper and celluloid. A montage of four parts from 1991–1995.
About the Great ShameAbout the Great Shame · 1998
About the Great Shame
1998
MovieAnimation
Rio, a young fisherman, lives in the kingdom of Lailonia. He is in love with Muria, who he considers the most beautiful girl in the world. When he is called up to the army, he does not forget Muria even for a second, despite being exhausted and facing numerous obstacles. Film from the ‘Fourteen Tales from Lailonia Kingdom by Leszek Kołakowski’ series.
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 17, No. 2Mazurka in E minor, Op. 17, No. 2 · 1992
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 17, No. 2
1992
MovieAnimationMusic
A film miniature to classical music. Chopin's nostalgic music illustrated in the film image with associations with the Polish countryside through poetics taken from 19th century painting. Fields of grain with flowering poppies, a country road with a ladder cart, a thatched cottage, a hearth, a well with a crane and a woman carrying a bucket of water. The images seamlessly intermingle with each other to create a highly evocative story about the passing and transience of moments filled with work from dawn to dusk.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter