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Tales of The Night by Michel Ocelot

Tales of the Night (French: Les Contes de la nuit) is a 1992 French silhouette animation television special written and directed by Michel Ocelot. It aired on Canal+ in France, ZDF in Germany and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It is a trilogy of three further fairy tales in much the same format as Ciné si: "La Belle Fille et le sorcier" ("The Pretty Girl and the Sorcerer"), "Bergère qui danse" ("The Dancing Shepherdess") and "Le Prince des joyaux" ("The Prince of Jewels").Unlike La Princesse insensible and Ciné si, Les Contes is on 35 mm film. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_Night)


This great opportunity, to see this amazing film screened at BFI (Bristish Film Institute) festival came quite sudden.I knew this festival is placed in London at the moment, and I felt like I have to go to at least one screening.
I never knew anything about this specific cinematographic piece or director. But starting form the very first scene of the film I got completely drawn into the story development. 

It is an general summary of the most significant fairytails ever existed. Interpretation of film was so unique; you're trying to analyze every setup for every each scene and the same way try to enjoy storyline. Usually, whilst enjoying films,I can't be bothered with analyzing. But what was different this time - graphics are  enormously HD and technique makes set design enormously polished in excelent level. 
What is weird, this was animation, fairytail - so that makes film for children audithorium. No! There were no children in venue, not even one. Havent seen any fairytail since childhood, so this one confused me. Question, I couln't answer was - is this made for adults or children? Or it's just me who now sees those stories differently. Although graphics were brilliant, it didn't seem for me that directors priority was  to create something so yo can just sit back and enjoy&relax. There were problems, that character tried to solve in way we usually try, just a little stylized approach.


As I see, still can't get to the main point, guess this is the film you should think over over again. So I'll give feedback from profesionals.


In an old rundown cinema, a small group gather each night to tell and act out stories and create some magic. We experience six different tales beginning with The Werewolf, where being betrothed to the wrong princess could end in extreme danger for a young man with a terrible curse, then Ti-Jean and Beauty Not Known, a Caribbean story about a man who arrives in the Land of the Dead and is set seemingly impossible tasks. In The Chosen One of the Golden City, a stranger sets about trying to free a city from the chains of its brutal past and The Tom-Tom Boy tells of a magic tom-tom that when played, makes everyone dance. The Boy Who Never Lied has two kings wagering on whether a truthful boy will live up to his reputation and, finally. The Girl Doe and the Architect's Son tells of a terrible sorcerer holding a girl against her will and a suitor who believes he will be able to save her. Michel Ocelot is the master of French contemporary animated cinema and previous films such as Kirikou and the Sorceress and Azur and Asmar: The Prince's Quest have thrilled audiences around the world. Tales of the Night promises to do the same by juxtaposing classic silhouette animation with new 3D techniques. It has an intoxicating, magical combination of sharp dialogue, a dry sense of humour and an enchanting sense of pleasure that will bewitch you from the start.

Justin Johnson (source: http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1819)


And here is an interview with director himself: http://www.ghibliworld.com/michel_ocelot_interview.html

it is still whole different experiene to view this in 3D.