Verwitterte Melodie
Encyclopedia
Verwitterte Melodie, or Weather-beaten Melody, is a 1943 animated short, made in Nazi Germany
. It was written mainly by cartoonist Hans Fischerkoesen
, although the sole credits often went to Horst von Möllendorff
http://www.animationjournal.com/abstracts/Moritz.html. It was animated by Jiri Brdecka in Prague
.
The general outline of the plot is of a bee that finds an abandoned phonograph
in a meadow.
The record, however, is jazz
, and the interaction of different species of bugs makes this a subtle criticism of Nazi ideals.
The technique which was used in this cartoon with its mirrors and the sounds were, in a technical way, much more modern than the Walt Disney cartoons from this time.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. It was written mainly by cartoonist Hans Fischerkoesen
Hans Fischerkoesen
Hans Fischerkoesen, also known as Hans Fischerkösen or Hans Fischer, was a German commercial animator. At the 1st Berlin International Film Festival Fischerkoesen's film Blick ins Paradies won the Bronze Medal award.- Filmography :* Radau Brüder * Spiel der Wellen *...
, although the sole credits often went to Horst von Möllendorff
Horst von Möllendorff
Horst von Möllendorff was a German cartoonist who was "drafted" to work for the Nazi's animated short industry. He was hired as a result of former commercial animator Hans Fischerkoesen not being able to come up with adequate story ideas for his short films...
http://www.animationjournal.com/abstracts/Moritz.html. It was animated by Jiri Brdecka in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
The general outline of the plot is of a bee that finds an abandoned phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
in a meadow.
The record, however, is jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and the interaction of different species of bugs makes this a subtle criticism of Nazi ideals.
The technique which was used in this cartoon with its mirrors and the sounds were, in a technical way, much more modern than the Walt Disney cartoons from this time.