Papageno

Papageno (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Here's another silhouette short from German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger and this one here is based on the bird-catcher from Mozart's The Magic Flute. I haven't seen any of the other films but from what I've read Reiniger spent a lot of time making films dealing with her love of opera and that's clearly what this is. Once again the best thing about this film is the silhouette animation itself as it really leaps off the screen. The images were quite striking and they certainly make you focus on what's going on. The story itself was a good one and I really loved the sequence with the snake as well as the ending. If you're a fan of the director then you'll certainly want to check this out.