✯✯✯✯ 1/2
This kind of animation style has, sadly, faded out of today's computer-generated entertainment world. It's a real shame, because this type of animation took real talent and attention to detail to nail down perfectly. Nowadays, a simple software program makes the animated films for today's kids, and there is a sense of personality that is lost through the digital medium. Son of the White Mare is one of the best examples of this lost art form.
Combining Hungarian mythos with Fantasia-style animation, the film tells the simple but exhilarating story of a strong young man named Fehérlófia on a quest with his two brothers to rescue three princesses from three dragon brethren of the underworld. The brothers face many obstacles and challenges, but Fehérlófia displays a strong sense of resilience and courage in the face of adversity, even when he descends to the depths of hell.
I love how perfect this film is in its presentation. Three brothers. Seven headed dragon. Twelve oxen. It's most likely part of the original Hungarian myth, but it still made a little part of me feel complete. Something about perfectly symmetrical presentations like this give me some weird sense of satisfaction, although I couldn't tell you why.
I would complain that this film was too short, but really I couldn't think of how it could be any longer. The story in and of itself was just perfect, and the beautiful combination of colors and sound really don't make me desire any more to be added. It just seems perfect all on its own.
If we could get The Criterion Collection to release Son of the White Mare on blu-ray, it would be a guaranteed instant purchase for me. The lack of presence this film has in the United States is kind of saddening to me, and it could really benefit from a great restoration and a nice addition of some meaty bonus features. Perhaps some more of a backstory on how this film was made or more on the lore that surrounds this story would add a nice third perspective for fans of the film. Just a thought.
This film is the reason I'm so glad to be a part of the Letterboxd community. Had I not found Forrest Ellsworth, I would have never heard of this film, and gotten to experience one of the best acid trip inducers I've ever seen. It's a truly astounding and beautiful experience, and the fact that it's on YouTube, making it easily accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, kind of shows how unknown this film is to most of the public. We need to get Criterion's attention to release this film on home video over here, so we can enjoy it in full surround sound on our HDTV's. That would make for a truly immersive experience, and most likely restore the film to the presentation that it's makers originally intended it to be for. This is a gorgeous, but dead animation style that comprised of most of my childhood, and the way it is used in this film is simply astounding.