Hello and welcome to Retrofuturism and Animation, our ongoing exploration of animated futures
from the past.
It’s October, Halloween, and so I wanted to find a prediction that was weird or spooky,
or both, preferably, and boy, did I ever.
Today we are going to be looking at the Czech puppet film The Cybernetic Grandma.
Now this is a film that lives up to its title. It was produced in 1962 and was directed
by the legendary animator Jiří Trnka. Trnka was an absolute master of his craft.
We talked about him a bit on Animation/Propaganda.
Along with Jiří Brdecka, he produced the 1946 anti-Nazi film The Springman and the
SS, placing a local folk legend into occupied Czechoslovakia, which was his home.
While this is traditional animation, Trnka was better known for his later stop-motion
puppetry.
Throughout his career, his work was nominated or won numerous awards. His most popular
short, Ruka, translated The Hand, is considered one of the greatest animated shorts of all
time.
What I love about his films is that they are extremely atmospheric. Here we are seeing one of his spookier offerings,
1949’s The Devil’s Mill.
This featured an organ grinder who stumbles into a haunted mill. He experiences all sorts
of supernatural haunts before being confronted by the devil himself, an evil he eventually
banishes through the use of song. This has some serious Charlie Daniels vibes in my opinion.
Already, Trnka’s talent should be obvious. These lighting effects are incredible. The
animation is smooth, the characters are emotive, the puppets. It’s excellent.
In 1962, Trnka reflected on society’s increasing use of technology with The Cybernetic Grandma.
I couldn’t find English subtitles for this but it’s largely silent and perfectly enjoyable
with a little bit of context, which I am happy to provide here.
We are presented with what should be tender
moments between a grandmother and her granddaughter but something feels off. There is this feeling
of unease.
They get a message calling them to an underground factory.
The grandmother takes the child there and sends her in alone.
Here she enters a pod, and the middle part of this short takes place in this pod. It
floats and the child has access to a monitor and music. As she is introduced to new
devices and new ideas, it's very overwhemling. She grounds himself with memories, the photographs she's brought.
Getting out of the pod, she gets moved to another and witnesses the funeral of the future.
She eventually finds herself in a very futuristic structure and it is here where we are introduced
to the Cybernetic Grandma. Basically a robotic wheelchair with doilies.
The Cybernetic grandmother speaks warmly to the child but acts coldly, at one point tossing
her ball into the abyss.
It constantly teases her. It withholds her photograph, her memories.
She is eventually shown adorable, horrific images.
When she’s had enough and finally breaks down, the flesh grandma shows up and turns
her robot counterpart off.
The short ends with the two embracing while sitting in the robot grandmother.
What I get out of this in terms of moral is that technology may make our lives easier
but it can’t replicate or replace love. This human is being reprogrammed, in a way. She
is introduced to the ways the machine and rejects them.
Futuristic predictions, besides the terrifying grandmother.
We get carrier bots, that function like helicopters. A record player that plays photographs and acts like a telephone as well.
How these photographs are taken is also interesting. It’s like a flashlight camera that
instantly develops photos. This car is a pretty standard futuristic
design. The monitor in the pod, the wireless speakers, and of course the idea that machines
will one day replace humans in every way.
I loved the Cypernetic Grandma.
The stop motion work is fluid. The design is off-putting. It’s great.
This short is obviously surreal. The Camera is intentionally disorienting at times and
it does an impressive amount of idea or world building in just half an hour.
The Soundtrack is very atmospheric as well. John Cage-y mixed with early electronica.
It fits perfectly with the theme and visuals.
Trnka is part of a great tradition. The Czechs have produced a ton of amazing animation,
stop motion of otherwise. Much of it is surreal and creepy, whether intentional or not. I’m
looking forward to exploring more in the coming months.
Definitely check this out if you have any interest at all in stop-motion. Trnka was
a master. Very creepy. Very unsettling and very seasonally appropriate.
So if you’re watching horror movies this month and looking for something new and different,
work this in. I’ll post a link in the description.
Our very first Halloween special was on Ladislas Starevich a couple years ago. Check that out
for more stop motion creepiness.
We also just did a huge video on the animated aesthetics of 90s Halloween television.
And if you want even more unsettling media, Nightmarecore 2020 is now available for free
over on Patreon. There are more creepy puppets there. As a heads up, don’t fall asleep
to it and viewer discretion is advised.
Patreon is also the only place to see Century of Schlock, our exploration of trash media
from the 20th Century. A new episode should be available shortly, if not now. Please consider
supporting us if you can, patreon.com/picsnportraits.
Also, please Like and share this video. That helps out a lot too.
As always, thank you so much for your interest in this channel and thanks for watching.