Yuriy Norshteyn day is my favorite day

My favorite film I’ve seen by Yuriy Norshteyn is most definitely The Hedgehog in the Fog, but the one that I want to discuss more is The Battle of Kerzhenets. What an interesting animation style to choose, if not at least extremely difficult. The other director, Ivan Ivanov-Vano (a Russian name if I’ve ever heard one) and Yuriy took those 14-16 fresco paintings and brought them to life to the sound of Rimsky-Korsakov’s score to weave a tale of war, death, and also life. The story follows the Russian legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh, which disappears under the waters of a lake to escape an attack by the Mongols.

The film itself only follows the legend loosely, however, and the climax takes place during the battle between the Russian soldiers and the Mongol hordes, symbolizing a clash of cultures (the Virgin Mary appears early in the film, in effect watching over the Russian side of the battle). I loved the art choice and how every frame could be a fresco painting on it’s own, truly holding the film ideal of “every frame a painting.” The lack of dialogue didn’t hurt this film, and the allusions to the old legend and the religious ties we see the Russian people having is beautiful. And the way we see the Mongol horde being portrayed, as black harbingers of death, almost, as they dance across the screen and the music reaches a crescendo; it definitely invoked a reaction of fear in me.