''The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'' (), also translated as ''Snipe–Clam Grapple'', is a 1983 Chinese

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Hu Jinqing Hu Jinqing (; March 1936 – 13 May 2019) was a Chinese animator and film director, and a pioneer in adapting the traditional art of Chinese paper cutting to animation. His film ''The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'' won the Silver Bear f ...

and produced by the

Shanghai Animation Film Studio Shanghai Animation Film Studio () also known as SAFS () is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, led by pion ...

. It won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

in February 1984.

Background

The film is based on the Chinese proverb "in the fight between the snipe and the clam, the fisherman has the best of it".

Plot

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

is sitting out in the sun when suddenly a

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

flies down to peck at it. The clam slams its shells shut, gripping the snipe's beak in between. The snipe says, "If it doesn't rain today, and it doesn't rain tomorrow, I shall see a dead clam on the beach." The clam retorts, "If I don't open today, and I don't open up tomorrow, I shall see a dead snipe on the beach." While they are grappling with each other, a fisherman passes by and nets them both.

Credits

References

External links

*
The film at China's Movie Database
1983 animated films 1983 films 1980s animated short films Chinese animated short films {{1980s-short-animation-film-stub

Background

Plot

Credits

See also

References

External links