The Painting [HD]

Wonderful animated parable on caste systems that will really show off you HD television.
This is another gem in the series of foreign animated films from GKIDS being distributed by Cinedigm. Starting with the fabulous "Chico & Rita" (a must for fans of Latin jazz) and moving on through "The Rabbi's Cat", the films (which I urge you to get on Bluray) are a joy to behold. Though "Chico and Rita" will probably remain my favorite "The Painting " by French animator Jean-Francois Laguionie may be the most artistically beautiful. I recently bought a new Hi-def TV and the Bluray discs I've been watching lately have been great but the brilliant colors in this 78-minutefilm blew everything else away! It's that captivating.

The "plot" of the film is how characters on a large canvas in an artist's studio actually are part of a caste system. There are the "Allduns" (fully finished), the "Halfies" (the characters that the artist has not yet finished) and the "Sketchies" (the ones which are only a pale outline). As a parable on modern society, we see the first group as the...

I Love It!
Just brilliant. The visual style is unequalled: hand drawing and wet media meet computerized rendering in a uncommonly successful merger. The social message is about tolerance at many levels, to the point that skin color is the least of the issues. Characters have some depth (maybe not all that much, but some) and really make you want to like them.

But, at least one serious irony inflicts itself, and in multiple ways. The Alldunns, the self-proclaimed higher caste who identify themselves by their fine rendering, elevate themselves above the mostly-finished halfies, and everyone abhors the loosely-drawn Sketchies. Well, declaring yourself superior based on some trait over which no one has any control is human enough. In this case, though, the loose and painterly style even of the Allduns looks like kindergarten scribbles compared to the hyper-realists of the 1970s and 80s, or even to the oil masters of every century up until this. For them to declare degree of finish to be...

Beautiful And Thought Provoking: A Beguiling And Sophisticated Animated Adventure From France
I really didn't have any particular expectations going into the animated feature "The Painting" by Jean-Francois Laguionie. I must say, though, that I found it absolutely captivating. I'm not prone to unnecessary hyperbole, you won't catch me proclaiming every movie ever made as "the best." But this audacious picture succeeds both as a parable of tolerance and as a stunning exploration of the art world. What appears to be simple on the surface is startlingly complex underneath. Oftentimes an animated feature can be dismissed as a kid's film or as a more sophisticated entertainment for adults. "The Painting" is completely suitable for older kids, and might even be a great conversation starter. Beyond that, though, it is a film filled with striking ideas that will appeal to anyone who loves the art world. If that weren't enough, it is also quite beautiful in its fluid hand drawn animation. Its unique visual style totally compliments the artistic themes behind the plot. In many...

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