Crew
Stephen Quay
Director
Timothy Quay
Director
Keith Griffiths
Director
Keith Griffiths
Producer
Timothy Quay
Director of Photography
Stephen Quay
Director of Photography
The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer
198414m6.9 (44)
Animation
In Prague, a professorial puppet, with metal pincers for hands and an open book for a hat, takes a boy as a pupil. First, the professor empties fluff and toys from the child's head, leaving him without the top of his head for most of the film. The professor then teaches the lad about illusions and perspectives, the pursuit of an object through exploring a bank of drawers, divining an object, and the migration of forms. The child then brings out a box with a tarantula in it: the professor puts his "hands" into the box and describes what he feels. The boy receives a final lesson about animation and film making; then the professor gives him a brain and his own open-book hat.
