Seryi Volk & Krasnaya Shapochka
Encyclopedia
Seryi Volk & Krasnaya Shapochka, literally "Grey Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood" is a claymation film, produced in the USSR by Garri Bardin
in 1990, which was just a few years before the USSR actually did break up. The film is considered a parody
of the demise of the USSR blended into the children's story of "Little Red Riding Hood
". There are also fragments of "The Three Little Pigs" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
" used as well although they are quite minimal. Snow White herself does not make any appearance.
Due to its blend of children's characters and political satire
, the film is considered enjoyable to different audiences on different levels.
The film is mainly in Russian
, although there is a small amount of dialogue in French
.
The film starts with two statues standing side by side, one holding a hammer, the other holding a sickle - that is a reference (or maybe a parody) of the monument Worker and Kolkhoz Woman
by Vera Mukhina
, which is a Mosfilm
logo and appears at the beginning of every Mosfilm
movie - and then a radio announcement can be heard.
The film was once shown on Channel 4
in the UK as part of their Four Mations - Secret Passions series (a television show on the British TV channel showing animations from all over the world
) as this was the last show in the current series, there was no interview
with Garri Bardin
himself. It was shown with English
subtitles and the translation was adapted to fit the music and still rhyme, using poetic licence. For unknown reasons, the fragments of "The Three Little Pigs" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" used, were omitted. The same goes for the part where the wolf approaches the doctor for the second time (possibly because one of the seven dwarfs was present in the same scene).
where the wolf swallows up people from all walks of life, even though they have done nothing against him and even a doctor who fixed a set of teeth for him, against his better judgement as the wolf was forced by the authorities to lose his original set of teeth for previous undisclosed trouble.
Eventually everyone inside him break free after doing their best to keep feeling happy and calm, led by the elderly grandmother of whom the wolf must have assumed would have been the weakest and least likely to start a revolt.
The wolf (who is still alive), tries to make one last attempt to salvage his freedom and fearful reputation by approaching the doctor to fix his teeth again, only for him to hit the wolf with a peace protest sign and then a trio of huntsmen shackle
him to it. The mob then march off leaving the wolf behind, chained up.
All this started over the wolf's attempts to eat the pie made by Little Red Riding Hood's mother for her daughter to take to her grandmother in Paris
, France
, all the way, on her own from Moscow
, Soviet Union
(now Russia
).
, as most of the words are sung.
A few common tunes are used to form part of the musical score used for in the film soundtrack
, such as "Mack the Knife
" and the "Tea for Two Cha-Cha" (both American tunes) as well as "La Vie En Rose
", which was made famous by "Édith Piaf
". The final song is loosely based on "Auld Lang Syne
"
Garri Bardin
Garri Bardin is a Russian animation director, screenwriter and producer and director. During Soviet times he was with Soyuzmultfilm, and in 1991 he founded his own studio, Stayer. In 2010, the studio finished making a feature-length animated film based on The Ugly Duckling, which Bardin directed...
in 1990, which was just a few years before the USSR actually did break up. The film is considered a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the demise of the USSR blended into the children's story of "Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
". There are also fragments of "The Three Little Pigs" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
" used as well although they are quite minimal. Snow White herself does not make any appearance.
Due to its blend of children's characters and political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
, the film is considered enjoyable to different audiences on different levels.
The film is mainly in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, although there is a small amount of dialogue in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
The film starts with two statues standing side by side, one holding a hammer, the other holding a sickle - that is a reference (or maybe a parody) of the monument Worker and Kolkhoz Woman
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman is a 24.5 meter high sculpture made from stainless steel by Vera Mukhina for the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, and subsequently moved to Moscow. The sculpture is an example of the socialist realistic style, as well as Art Deco style...
by Vera Mukhina
Vera Mukhina
Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina was a prominent Soviet sculptor.- Life :Mukhina was born in Riga into a wealthy merchant family, and lived at Turgeneva st. 23/25, where a memorial plaque has now been placed. She later moved to Moscow, where she studied at several private art schools, including those of...
, which is a Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
logo and appears at the beginning of every Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
movie - and then a radio announcement can be heard.
The film was once shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK as part of their Four Mations - Secret Passions series (a television show on the British TV channel showing animations from all over the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
) as this was the last show in the current series, there was no interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with Garri Bardin
Garri Bardin
Garri Bardin is a Russian animation director, screenwriter and producer and director. During Soviet times he was with Soyuzmultfilm, and in 1991 he founded his own studio, Stayer. In 2010, the studio finished making a feature-length animated film based on The Ugly Duckling, which Bardin directed...
himself. It was shown with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
subtitles and the translation was adapted to fit the music and still rhyme, using poetic licence. For unknown reasons, the fragments of "The Three Little Pigs" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" used, were omitted. The same goes for the part where the wolf approaches the doctor for the second time (possibly because one of the seven dwarfs was present in the same scene).
Brief synopsis
The Grey Wolf represents communismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
where the wolf swallows up people from all walks of life, even though they have done nothing against him and even a doctor who fixed a set of teeth for him, against his better judgement as the wolf was forced by the authorities to lose his original set of teeth for previous undisclosed trouble.
Eventually everyone inside him break free after doing their best to keep feeling happy and calm, led by the elderly grandmother of whom the wolf must have assumed would have been the weakest and least likely to start a revolt.
The wolf (who is still alive), tries to make one last attempt to salvage his freedom and fearful reputation by approaching the doctor to fix his teeth again, only for him to hit the wolf with a peace protest sign and then a trio of huntsmen shackle
Shackle
A shackle, also known as a gyve, is a U-shaped piece of metal secured with a clevis pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism...
him to it. The mob then march off leaving the wolf behind, chained up.
All this started over the wolf's attempts to eat the pie made by Little Red Riding Hood's mother for her daughter to take to her grandmother in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, all the way, on her own from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
).
Soundtrack
This film can be considered as a musicalMusical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, as most of the words are sung.
A few common tunes are used to form part of the musical score used for in the film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, such as "Mack the Knife
Mack the Knife
"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the...
" and the "Tea for Two Cha-Cha" (both American tunes) as well as "La Vie En Rose
La vie en rose
"La Vie en Rose" was the signature song of French singer Édith Piaf.-Signature song of Édith Piaf:Édith Piaf first popularized La Vie en Rose in 1946. The lyrics were written by Piaf and the melody of the song by "Louiguy" . Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song...
", which was made famous by "Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
". The final song is loosely based on "Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
"