User Reviews

'The Devil's Mill' is something that appealed to me immediately, as a fan of fairy tales and folk tales. The European and Soviet ones especially appeal to me. Also highly appreciate stop motion and puppet animation, especially the older stuff. Of all the directors that specialised in this kind of visual style, Jiri Trnka to me is one of the best and one of its most important figures. All his output, feature and short films, are worth seeing at the least with the best being fantastic.

One of the fantastic efforts of Trnka's is 'The Devil's Mill'. It is not only for me his joint best short film, along with 'The Song of the Prairie' (like to love them all though), but also one of his best of his overall output along with that, 'Bajaja' and especially 'The Hand'. To me it's one of his most visually striking, most imaginative and most atmospheric, as well as one of his most accessible for any fantasy/fairy tale fan who isn't Czech and worried about potential language barrier problems.

What immediately stands out is the visual style, in one of Trnka's most visually striking short (and overall) films. It is beautifully and atmospherically shot but faring even better is the enchanting and suitably eerie scenery (i.e. The interiors of the mill) and the lively but also nuanced designs for the characters (especially agreed the man's face and his expressions), nothing cheap or overly-old fashioned here. The music, like its own character, is full of energy and beauty of tone, with a real feel for the period and a nostalgic Czech folklore vibe at times. Trnka's direction is elegant and classy throughout.

It doesn't matter whatsoever that 'The Devil's Mill' is wordless, in fact not only is it a decision that works extremely well it was also the right decision in my mind. Instead the storytelling is told through the visuals, which at their best on top of what is said above are very bold and inventive. They tell the story honestly and coherently, had no trouble following what was going on, without over-simplifying. It is a strong and vividly atmospheric story that may be slight but is never dull or uneventful.

Characters are colourful and have quirkiness, charm and at times eeriness depending on the character. Namely the rootable lead character. The goings on in the mill are wonderfully strange, without being confusing, and entertain and unsettle, without being gimmicky or overly dark. Some of Trnka's work is on the slow side, but that wasn't felt with 'The Devil's Mill'.

Summing up, fantastic. 10/10.