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Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Kirpianuscus in the circle of period, it represents an impressive example of courage. for the Easter sensitivity is a wonderful experience. because it is a story of faith. because the use of Bizantine icons and medieval miniatures represents the basic virtue of a short animation who remains memorable especially for the walk of Mother of God and the respect of saints or for the resurrection of the every day life after the terrible battle.the music of Rimsky-Korsakov and the genius of Iuri Nornstein. this is the basis of this special masterpiece. an eulogy to old time and courage, history and faith. sure, one of the films not for everyone. but, in my case, the emotion was to high level. this is all. an impressive piece from a great contemporary animation director.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Secha pri Kerzhentse" or "The Battle of Kerzhenets" is a 10-minute short film from 1971, so this one has its 45th anniversary this year. If you read the names Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Yuriy Norshteyn, you know that this is a Soviet animated movie. It is really not too long, but has more historic significance than many other animated films as it is about a certain battle. I personally must say the animation was decent for 1971, though not great, but this is already the only positive thing I can really say. I feel complete unattached to this project, which is partially subjective as I don#t care about military movies in general a whole lot, but also somewhat objective as the filmmaking duo did not manage to get me interested. I guess you need to have a certain connection to the battle or the region in order to appreciate this little movies. I myself did not and that's why I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

lambchopnixon A spellbinding animated short. The background is utterly expressionistic, appearing like volcanic rock. In the foreground, the figures stay still for enough moments to appear to be part of different style of animation, where we are seeing a a photo. Then the figures move as if life was just breathed into them. As a whole it is a bravura display of animation mastery. Innovatory technique need not be in only abstract work. The animation can be delirious and stunning, like here, or in the real-life action of a Powell/Pressburger movie. Various types of animation are used to augment the main style. More than augment, they amaze as each new surprise lives up to the last. The culmination of the lead-up is sightly disappointing at first, as it's an event that so many have pulled thrills and adrenalin rushes from before these filmmakers. The downers lasts a few moments only as the animation clicks back into top gear. It reminds of 'Une nuit sur le Mont Chauve' in how both stirring and magical it is.

ackstasis Speaking as a Norshteyn fan, I found 'The Battle of Kerzhenets (1971)' – a collaboration with Ivan Ivanov-Vano – to be a general disappointment. It had an interesting concept behind it, certainly, but possessed none of the emotional strength of 'Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)' or 'Tale of Tales (1979),' or even any of Norshteyn's lesser-known short films. The story is based on the folktale of the Invisible City of Kitezh, which is said to have disappeared beneath the waters of a lake to escape a Mongol attack. The film is accompanied by music from famous Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which suits the story exceedingly well, and is animated using two-dimensional stop-motion of 14th-16th century Russian frescoes and paintings. This particular style of animation does have a certain charm about it, but, at the end of the day, there's little emotional energy to the images, because each painted figure – their faces frozen in history – are simply incapable of communicating any real emotion.As I had absolutely no knowledge of the original legend, it was quite difficult for me to properly follow the story, which is entirely wordless. The high point of the film is certainly the climactic battle between the Russians and the Mongols, though every figure seems to be darting across the frame so quickly that you're unsure of who's killing who. The end of the film offers a refreshing dose of optimism, as, in the aftermath of the devastating bloodshed, the Russians slowly begin to reconstruct their tattered lives: homes and boats are rebuilt, crops are resown, the vibrancy of human life is maintained. Perhaps a healthier knowledge of Russian history and folklore was required to better enjoy this animated short film. In any case, Yuriy Norshteyn did get much better as his distinguished career progressed, and 'The Battle of Kerzhenets' can be viewed as another vital step towards enduring greatness.