Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
ccthemovieman-1
Outrageous situations is a big reason I like cartoons - even some made in Russia 40 years ago. I mean, in what other medium would you see a crocodile who likes flowers, falls in love with a beautiful cow with big eyelashes? The crocodile reads poetry ("written in crocodile language?") and serenades his girl with a violin.That's just some of the absurdity in this Russian cartoon. The drawings are very different. This isn't the animated material you see in Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry or whatever. Sometimes the main characters almost look like puppets. Vadim Kurchevsky directed this 1966 film. It's his style.Even more surprising, the animated work turns out to be a sad love story drama, not really a comedic piece. The female turns out to be very fickle - another Olive Oyl! Also, the crocodile is blue, not green.Yes, it's different, it's not always funny and it's got a "deep" message about looks and love at the end. Many of these Russian short films have profound messages. Some are easy to decipher; some aren't but there is always more to it than just the humor or the graphics. This was part of the DVD, "Masters of Russian Animation, Volume One."
