Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol. 3: The Short Films of Yuri Norstein

Standard Edition

THE 25TH, THE FIRST DAY - 1968, 9 min., co-dir. Arkadiy Tyurin. Yuri Norstein's first film is a visually striking tribute to the Bolshevik Revolution on October 25 SEASONS - 1969, 9 min. A man and woman ride through the forest while the seasons change around them in this lovely, elegiac short set to music by Tchaikovsky. CHILDREN AND MATCHES - 1969, 5 min. Norstein's rarely-seen educational short about the dangers of matches, from ancient times up to today. THE BATTLE OF KERZHENETS - 1971, 10 min., co-dir. Ivan Ivanov-Vano. Arguably Norstein's first great animated film, inspired by the legend of the City of Kitezh which disappeared into a lake to avoid Mongol invaders. THE FOX & THE HARE - 1973, 12 min. Norstein's utterly charming short about a temperamental "house-filching fox" who boots a poor rabbit out of its home. The rabbit turns to a wolf, bear, bull and rooster for help, with surprising results. THE HERON & THE CRANE - 1974, 10 min. An awkward crane and a high-spirited heron go back and forth on marrying each other, in this heartbreaking short about romantic misunderstandings. HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG - 1975, 11 min. The deceptively epic journey of the tiny hedgehog, filled with impossible marvels and dangers: a shimmering white horse and a crafty owl. A fluttering bat, a falling leaf and the ever-present curtain of fog. Widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever made. A DAY BEFORE OUR ERA - 1977, 6 min. Co-dir. Fyodor Khitruk. This experimental collage of images of the French Revolution was apparently abandoned before it was finished, and remains one of Norstein's rarest films. THE TALE OF TALES - 1979, 29 min. Norstein's longest film to date, TALE is a story about stories, a dream of many dreams. A giant bull and a little girl skip rope. Couples dance under a streetlight until the male partners disappear, headed off to war. And through it all, the Little Grey Wolf watches silently at the rondo of human loves and losses.

Bonus Materials

• New restorations by Deaf Crocodile of all 9 of Norstein's short films
• First ever U.S. Blu-ray release for Norstein's short films
• Includes feature-length documentary MAKING THE OVERCOAT about Norstein's legendary, unfinished project 'The Overcoat'
• New commentary tracks by film scholar Michael Brooke
• New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester
• Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion
• Most complete release of Norstein's films ever put out on Blu-ray