I've watched this short several times and it always leaves me in awe. Steffen Schaffler (director) and his sister Annette (writer) have created a fantastic addition to the cannon of stop-motion films. And it has all the awards to prove it.
"The Periwig-Maker" briefly adapts Daniel Defoe's book "A Journal of the Plague Year" into the running inner monologue (perfectly voiced by Kenneth Branagh) of a shut-in wig designer in London during the plague epidemic.
The story quietly examines, through his unwitting involvement with a courageous little girl, the withdrawn shopkeeper's dilemma of self-preservation versus self-sacrifice. When faced with the threat of our own death, how compassionate are we?
The created "set" of this piece is flawless and the attention to detail is remarkable. Above all else, though, the most hypnotic element is Chris Heyne's dark and heartrending score.
From the first sweeping shot, "The Periwig-Maker" establishes its tone and pulls us into the poignant world of a man who has much to learn about empathy and what makes life worth living.
A dark yet beautiful film.
"The Periwig-Maker" briefly adapts Daniel Defoe's book "A Journal of the Plague Year" into the running inner monologue (perfectly voiced by Kenneth Branagh) of a shut-in wig designer in London during the plague epidemic.
The story quietly examines, through his unwitting involvement with a courageous little girl, the withdrawn shopkeeper's dilemma of self-preservation versus self-sacrifice. When faced with the threat of our own death, how compassionate are we?
The created "set" of this piece is flawless and the attention to detail is remarkable. Above all else, though, the most hypnotic element is Chris Heyne's dark and heartrending score.
From the first sweeping shot, "The Periwig-Maker" establishes its tone and pulls us into the poignant world of a man who has much to learn about empathy and what makes life worth living.
A dark yet beautiful film.