Iluminace 2020, 32(4):75-93 | DOI: 10.58193/ilu.1686

Andrey Khrzhanovsky's A Cat and a Half (2002) as a Palimpsest Beyond Conventions

Maria Panova
Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv

Klíčová slova: animovaný dokument, animace, poezie, próza, Josif Brodskij

This text examines Andrey Khrzhanovsky's 2002 film A Cat and a Half, dedicated to the renowned Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky, through the lens of a working metaphor of a palimpsest beyond conventions, which may be shifted both to the formal as well as the content-focused facet of the cinematic piece. Based on critical reception of Khrzhanovsky's filmography, the analysis puts forth the concept of the complex interplay of types and genres that makes up the film, of its specific structure; it reinforces the notion that combining the different techniques and strategies of representation applied in animation, documentaries, and traditional live-action films, as well as rejecting linearity and chronological order in the sequencing, is informed by the artistic work of Joseph Brodsky. The second part of the research focuses on the different themes and motifs in the film that produce the perception of individuality in the artist and the expression of his nonconformity. The film is analyzed as a keen interpretation of autobiographical prose, poetry, and drawings done by Brodsky, an interpretation that stands apart from strictly established adaptation conventions and traditional biopic outlines, but also produces an exceptional sense of authenticity and faithfulness. The discussion provides the understanding of the piece as an animated documentary. Special attention is paid to the functionality of the animation in the film as a means of expression and depiction of abstract notions and ideas. The research establishes the profound connections and unification in the organic melding of documentary materials, animation, live-action shots, and written/spoken sources upon which the film is based. A comment is made on the film's place both in Andrey Khrzhanovsky's work and against the backdrop of other pieces dedicated to Joseph Brodsky by pointing out those facets of the film which both relate it to, and set it apart from, the rest. The research overview leads to a reading of A Cat and a Half as a film that forms and expresses a uniquely original, artistic, and extremely valuable notion of the artist's personality and his works.

Keywords: animated documentaries, animation, poetry, prose, Joseph Brodsky

Zveřejněno: 1. prosinec 2020  Zobrazit citaci

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Panova, M. (2020). Andrey Khrzhanovsky's A Cat and a Half (2002) as a Palimpsest Beyond Conventions. Iluminace, 32(4), 75-93. doi: 10.58193/ilu.1686
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