| Allegro Non Troppo; in sections, with a cherry on top
Bruno Bozzetto's Allegro Non Troppo (1979) is a collection of short animated films, set to classical music, with comedic live-action sequences throughout. It proceeds thusly:
Prologue
Monochrome live-action silliness in which the filmmakers state openly that they're ripping off Fantasia (1940). The orchestra (a bunch of octogenarian flappers) and the animator (Maurizio Nichetti, the Italian Woody Allen) are hauled out of a prison camp to participate in the film. Ho ho.
Audience Reaction
Cautious chuckles. Clearly, something cheerfully offbeat is forthcoming. If you're watching the subtitled version, you'll suspect that the translators aren't telling us everything when you see a minute-and-a-half of rapid-fire Italian jabbering translated as: "Hello. I'm Luigi."
Debussy's Prelude to Afternoon of a Fawn
A geriatric satyr goes around a leafy glade trying to get laid, but none of the nymphs will let him touch them cuz hes old and ugly. Winds up heartbroken and alone. Moral of the story: dont get old and ugly, because nobody will love you.
Audience Reaction
The guy who has seen the film before squirms uncomfortably, while his friends all glare at him, saying "I thought you said this show was funny."
First Interlude
The little old ladies in the orchestra continue to be mistreated, as one is casually assassinated with a champagne cork and another is led offstage for some unspecified (but presumably ghastly) punishment.
Audience Reaction
Hee hee hee! Human rights violations are funny! (At least compared to that lovesick satyr crap.)
Dvorak's Slavonic Dance No. 7
A caveman is enraged when the entire human race simply copies everything he does. He builds a hut, they all build huts. He builds a skyscraper, they all follow suit, creating civilization. He hops on one foot and hits himself with a hammer and its hop ’n' bonk time for them all. Finally, he figures out a way to get rid of them all for good.
Audience Reaction
Now this is more like it! Lively, satirical and flat-out entertaining. If you own the tape, its probably cued up to this piece.
Second Interlude: Lunch Break
The conductor doesn't realize he has a chamber pot on his head. Ho ho. Everybody eats lunch. A cute little cartoon character burns to death when the piece of paper he's drawn on catches fire.
Audience Reaction
By now, were all tuned in to the film's peculiar brand of black humour and laugh heartily at the doomed toons plight. Bring on "Bolero!"
Ravel's Bolero
Bo Derek's favourite nookie anthem becomes the background for All Life on Earth as it evolves out of a discarded Coke bottle.
Audience Reaction
Utter fascination. Forget what I said about Dvorak – this is the best section of the film and it will stick in your memory long after the rest has faded.
Third Interlude
Maurizio gets chased by a gorilla. He cossack-dances to safety.
Audience Reaction
Wheeeeeee!
Sibelius's Valse Triste
An abandoned house cat mopes around a bombed-out building, realizes that all his friends are gone and evaporates in a puff of pathos. Sad.
Audience Reaction
Bring back the horny satyr guy! At least his segment had naked boobies!
Fourth Interlude
The little old ladies boo and throw things because the last piece was too sad.
Audience Reaction
And rightly so.
Vivaldi's Concerto in C Minor
A bumblebee's picnic is spoiled when two amorous humans show up and start rolling around all over the place, upsetting the tiny little place settings.
Audience Reaction
Are we back to the funny stuff now? Oh good!
Fifth Interlude
Maurizio and the conductor have a ridiculous cartoon-style duel, á la Bill Plympton's classic Push Comes to Shove.
Audience Reaction
Bravo! More! More!
Stravinsky's The Firebird
The serpent can't get Adam and Eve to eat the apple, so he eats it himself. Has a weird nightmare.
Audience Reaction
I think the movie expects us all to be stoned by now.
Finale
Maurizio runs off with the pretty girl, leaving it up to the Frankenstein Monster to end the film. Frankie roots around in the basement, showing us random hilarious nonsense.
Audience Reaction
Huh? What the hell was that? I don't know, man, but it was damn funny. Rewind that sucker. |
