Fantasia (1940)

Second viewing; the first one happened on an unremembered date before 1987.

This one needs no introduction, I think. It is comprised by several numbers combining music and animation.

A superior product, made by conscientious artists. The film does not seek unity in tone, it is rather content to be a collection, and actually there is change in tone precisely to prevent a sensation of dullness which might arise from the rather long overall length. I only regret the reported modification of a scene for the 1969 re-release, because, it seems, it featured a black centaurette performing a servile function (she rolls out a carpet for Bacchus); this scene did not reappear in the original form in any later re-release. This is where it becomes clear that cinema will never have the same status of the other arts: I cannot see this happening to a novel or a painting (well, who can tell what awaits us in days to come?). In Stalin's Soviet Union, they changed the past to suit the official version of history, and apparently in capitalist countries this gets done without the need of a central authority. The system self-regulates. I read three reviews (New York Times, Washington Post and Roger Ebert) and found them all interesting and well-written. I direct you to the page at IMDB where these and other external reviews are linked to.

Rating: 73 (down from 88)