The World of Movies: Harlequin
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we journey to new worlds in some of Germany’s earliest animation.
Lotte Reiniger.
May contain spoilers.
I’ve always been a fan of Lotte Reiniger. A lover of art and the theatre, she transitioned smoothly into film with her paper silhouette style. Her innovative camera techniques exist in animation to this day, and though she is often overlooked in favour of the likes of Disney, her gorgeously fluid animated films deserve some attention. Harlequin (1931) is a beautiful piece that embodies her artistic style.
Like much of her other work, Harlequin is made with her distinctive stop-motion paper cutout methods, and is based on influences from other media – in this case, classical music and ballet. We begin with figures playing instruments and dancing together. One of the dancers drops from the sky, where he finds himself in a small village. Using his musical talent, he begins to make friends within the community. Soon enough, he begins to attract women, which does not amuse the rest of the townsfolk. One relationship in particular puts him in serious danger. The action spirals rapidly towards a grisly end – perhaps.
For its era, this is remarkably smooth work – some stop-motion films today could only dream of such grace! Each scene feels remarkably full of action, even with only a few simple shapes. Some of the set pieces and “costumes” can be quite elaborate. Shadows and mist suggest day and night, or different moods. The same figure can slip from elegant to eerie in the space of a few frames. There are even a couple of cute sight gags. Sometimes the characters are less than distinctive, and it can be difficult to tell them apart, especially in the beginning. The print itself is relatively well-preserved, with some mild scratching along the edges (very common in such an old film). The score, derived from pieces in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, matches the action well.
Harlequin.
While relatively small in scope compared to later animation, a Lotte Reiniger film still holds significant impact. Harlequin captures the grandeur of theatre, and the emotional significance of a folk tale, all with paper and a camera. For animation fans, obviously, Reiniger’s body of work is a must. Its elegant storytelling and meticulous art do more than that – with input from so many influences, they appeal beyond the medium of film itself.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.