The tale of the fox

Le roman de Renard is a classic fable that is astonishingly topical. Made together with his daughter Irène, to whom Starewitch attributes the original idea, the film is about a wily fox and his adventures in an animal world that dresses and thinks like its human counterpart, with all its vices and conflicts. The quality and complexity of this work are impressive both for the number and variety of puppets, and the technical and narrative resources used. Starewitch’s cinema was an artisan family affair, since both his eldest daughter, Irène, and little Jeanne (Nina Star) lent their talent on both sides of the camera. His wife, Anna Zimmerman, created the puppets and made their costumes. In a valuable document before the film screening, we see Starewitch and Irène at work in the studio.

• Comment naît et s’anime une ciné-marionnette, 1932, video, 3 min
• Le roman de Renard (The tale of the fox), Ladislas and Irène Starewitch, 1929-1930 (French version 1941), 35 mm, 63 min.