''The Hand'' ( cz, Ruka) is a 1965 Czechoslovak

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

puppet animation film directed by

Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is best kn ...

. It was to be Trnka's final film. Critics and viewers praised ''The Hand'' as one of the best animated shorts of all time. The film was first released in 1965. When Trnka died in 1969, the film was banned due to its story that reflects a restrictive environment in which many artists had to work.

Plot

The film features a conflict between a powerless Harlequin and a powerful Hand. Harlequin is an artist who makes Sculptures. He is commanded by The Hand to make only sculptures of Hand making a symbolic gesture, but Harlequin decides to resist the Hand as he wishes to make ceramic pots for his flowers. The Hand tries to change his mind by threatening him, manipulating him or by causing trouble for him. The Hand eventually catches Harlequin with a trick and locks him in a cage where he makes the ordered Statue. The Hand rewards him with medals and laurels, but he becomes sad and decides to escape. He brings down the statue and makes a hole in the cage. He jumps out of the cage and runs away while being chased by the Hand. As he runs, he throws away all of his medals and laurels. He gets home in the end and barricades himself there. As he barricades himself in a closet, a pot with a flower falls on him. Harlequin falls to the floor and sees his beloved flowers as he dies. When the Hand gets into the House, Harlequin is already dead. The Hand, now wearing a different glove, uses the closet as a coffin for Harlequin and makes a pompous funeral for him, before expressing a new gesture.

Legacy

Jiří Trnka Memorial that was unveiled in Plzeň on 17 November 2015, commemorates ''The Hand''. '' Time Out'' listed ''The Hand'' in its list of top 30 animated shorts of all time. In a Reddit AMA,

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series fo ...

, creator of the Cartoon Network show

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...

named ''The Hand'' as having a major influence on her work.

Awards

List of awards received by ''The Hand'': *Jury Special Prize, Annecy, 1965 *First Prize in Category of Cartoons, Bergamo, 1965 *Silver Prize, Melbourne, 1966 *Best Film of All Festival Years (Award from Critics), Annecy, 1990

References

External links

''The Hand''
on

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''The Hand''
on

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''The Hand''
on AllMovie {{DEFAULTSORT:Hand 1965 animated films Films directed by Jiří Trnka Czechoslovak animated short films Marionette films 1965 films 1965 short films 1960s animated short films Czech animated short films Czech horror films Animated films without speech 1960s Czech-language films