“I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, and what can be the use of him is more than I can see”. (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1885)

Precisely one century ago, in 1922, the pioneer of German cinema Lotte Reiniger realised several of her masterpieces of silhouette animation, drawing inspiration from the world of classic fairytales.
Between the 1920s and the 1950s, making use of enchanting black outlines cut by hand, she gave life to an animated universe entirely based around the contrast between light and dark, creating an animation technique that recalls the ancient art of Chinese shadow puppetry. From a narrative perspective, she had two main sources of inspiration: the world of opera and the classic fairytale. Two films, shown here in restored versions for the first time, belong to this second current: Aschenputtel and Dornröschen. The programme is completed by two other works by the director, drawn from the archives of the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum.

Aschenputtel
(Cinderella, Germania/1922-1923)
R.: Lotte Reiniger. D.: 17’.

Dornröschen
(Sleeping Beauty, Germania/1922)
R.: Lotte Reiniger. D.: 9’.

The Grasshopper and the Ant
(GB/1954)
R.: Lotte Reiniger. D.: 10’.

Puss in Boots
(GB/1954)
R.: Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch. D.: 11’

Original version with translation in oversound