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The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer poster

The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer

Film198414m

Animation
Not rated

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Details

Director
Stephen Quay
Language
English
Released
1984-06-20
Runtime
14m

Community score

6.943 votes on TMDB

Confidence

Rating weighted by how many people voted

6.5

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The story

In Prague, a professorial puppet, with metal pincers for hands and an open book for a hat, takes a boy as a pupil. First, the professor empties fluff and toys from the child's head, leaving him without the top of his head for most of the film. The professor then teaches the lad about illusions and perspectives, the pursuit of an object through exploring a bank of drawers, divining an object, and the migration of forms. The child then brings out a box with a tarantula in it: the professor puts his "hands" into the box and describes what he feels. The boy receives a final lesson about animation and film making; then the professor gives him a brain and his own open-book hat.

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