often this is what i find to be the most disturbing, but also amusingly creepy element of archaic children's folk lore, literature or rhymes, their nature of moral condemnation. it is often, judgmental, unforgiving and alarmist. often that's part of the fun. you can't always have the good without the scary. in the case of this childhood legend, mostly the "scary".
never heard of the children's 'Struwwelpeter' stories or 'Little Suck-a-Thumb'. i love the entertaining element of traditional lore, but i'm no expert or authority, especially with some of the really old stuff like this creep yarn. i'm certainly glad i didn't hear this as a small child during my "oral fixation" phase, otherwise i would've slept with one eye open. as it is, i think i'm still going to get chilly nightmares from this as soon as i stop laughing.
the 'Struwwwelpeter' stories 'Little Thumb Sucker' beddy time rhyme, seems mostly from a vein of condemnation and judgmental moralizing. it was basically a ghastly tale to frighten toddlers of their childish habit. as filmmaker David Kaplan sees it, the oral is something sensual and therefore his film is a weird nightmare nursery tale of sensual condemnation and unforgiveness. told with flippant and defiant hilarity.
not only does David Kaplan understand his original source material brilliantly with great depth and insight, he also executes it perfectly as cinema. few full length horror films could hope to be this inventive and of amusing interest. and the script and acting are of equal service to his hauntingly atmospheric direction. this short film is the very essence of the Gothic.
i've only seen a couple of shorts by David Kaplan but it's enough to convince me he is a notable contemporary cinema artist. i very refined and intellectual one at that. at least his films are and the artist part of himself seems that evolved.
kudos. gush genius. Kaplan brilliantly presents traditional material in a fresh, inventive, imaginative way, without distorting it beyond recognition or giving it trite revisionism.
never heard of the children's 'Struwwelpeter' stories or 'Little Suck-a-Thumb'. i love the entertaining element of traditional lore, but i'm no expert or authority, especially with some of the really old stuff like this creep yarn. i'm certainly glad i didn't hear this as a small child during my "oral fixation" phase, otherwise i would've slept with one eye open. as it is, i think i'm still going to get chilly nightmares from this as soon as i stop laughing.
the 'Struwwwelpeter' stories 'Little Thumb Sucker' beddy time rhyme, seems mostly from a vein of condemnation and judgmental moralizing. it was basically a ghastly tale to frighten toddlers of their childish habit. as filmmaker David Kaplan sees it, the oral is something sensual and therefore his film is a weird nightmare nursery tale of sensual condemnation and unforgiveness. told with flippant and defiant hilarity.
not only does David Kaplan understand his original source material brilliantly with great depth and insight, he also executes it perfectly as cinema. few full length horror films could hope to be this inventive and of amusing interest. and the script and acting are of equal service to his hauntingly atmospheric direction. this short film is the very essence of the Gothic.
i've only seen a couple of shorts by David Kaplan but it's enough to convince me he is a notable contemporary cinema artist. i very refined and intellectual one at that. at least his films are and the artist part of himself seems that evolved.
kudos. gush genius. Kaplan brilliantly presents traditional material in a fresh, inventive, imaginative way, without distorting it beyond recognition or giving it trite revisionism.