The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer (1984)

In Prague, a professorial puppet, with metal pincers for hands and an open book for a hat, takes a boy as a pupil. First, the professor empties fluff and toys from the child's head, leaving him without the top of his head for most of the film. The professor then teaches the lad about illusions and perspectives, the pursuit of an object through exploring a bank of drawers, divining an object, and the migration of forms. The child then brings out a box with a tarantula in it: the professor puts his "hands" into the box and describes what he feels. The boy receives a final lesson about animation and film making; then the professor gives him a brain and his own open-book hat.

Released

1984-06-20

Genres

Animation

Runtime

14 min

Status

Released

Directed / written by

Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay, Keith Griffiths

TMDB rating

6.9/10 from 44 votes