"The Flat" was another of Jan Svankmajer's early live action works that the Czech filmmaker made before he developed his distinguished style, and it's a really weird short. There is no big plot other than a basic story set up to make way for the wide array of visual effects produced, and on a whole it remains more of a demonstration of the director's wild imagination than anything else. This does not mean that it isn't good however, just lacking in concept and on the whole, even without much of a concept, it provides some wonderful entertainment in the thirteen minutes it runs.
The story sees a man being thrown into what could be called a prison cell, where a series of mystical things occur. Pictures move on their own, the beer glass changes shape, the bed turns to sawdust, etc. There is never a dull moment as these comical and elaborately-executed gimmicks keep the viewer's interest throughout, and the stop-motion is outstanding. Svankmajer was clearly beginning to see the boundlessness of his imagination and animation skills, and he makes the most use of them that he can within the run-time, sometimes even where it's not needed (i.e. the man's face contorting into weird facial expressions). His work is becoming more and more engaging and visually diverse, and I look forward to seeing the later material he would produce when he was in his most prolific years.
The story sees a man being thrown into what could be called a prison cell, where a series of mystical things occur. Pictures move on their own, the beer glass changes shape, the bed turns to sawdust, etc. There is never a dull moment as these comical and elaborately-executed gimmicks keep the viewer's interest throughout, and the stop-motion is outstanding. Svankmajer was clearly beginning to see the boundlessness of his imagination and animation skills, and he makes the most use of them that he can within the run-time, sometimes even where it's not needed (i.e. the man's face contorting into weird facial expressions). His work is becoming more and more engaging and visually diverse, and I look forward to seeing the later material he would produce when he was in his most prolific years.