Le Roman De Renard

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Completed in 1930, sound problems kept this out of theaters until 1937.  The money to finish it was put up the German National Socialists.  The movie was animated by the great pioneer film makers Ladislaw and Irene Starevitch.  Although dated, the photography is mind blowing for the time.  Filming began in 1929, not the best year for starting a big project.  Here is the full movie -

https://youtu.be/juTbbcZQIR0


Renard


Condemned


Cat street musician


Troubadour cat.  This song is very lovely and poignant. Jaime Plama singing.  Vincent Scotto wrote the music.

https://youtu.be/ngpOmHO8Hxo


Reynard, Bevo building, St. Louis.  He needs a guitar, not a cup of near beer.


From the abandoned "Chanticleer", Reynard and hen.  Walt Disney Productions. Marc Davis, artwork.  Walt decided that Reynard was not moral enough to star in a film.  So did Josef Goebbels.
'Originally, studio writer Ken Anderson wanted to adapt the stories of Reynard the Fox, a sly trickster who could smooth talk his way out of any sticky situation, but the idea was vetoed by Walt himself before his death, claiming Reynard wasn’t a suitable hero. However, the notion of drawing animals did stick with Anderson and the Reynard stories’ main species were emulated in this film with Robin Hood and Maid Marian portrayed as foxes and the Sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf.' 
 (The Disney Project). 
 Oh, and Chanticleer was scrapped because Walt did not want two major animated films being made at the same time, so The Jungle Book got priority, speaking of Bill Peet and anthropomorphic animals.  Bill broke with Walt over how sugary that movie is.


Ken Anderson, Reynard project, Disney.


Ken Anderson.


John D. Batten


The Belgian animated film, Renny the Fox (Roman de Reynard, Thierry Schiel)  A lot of complaints about this but I think it is charming, from what I have seen.


J.L.Huens.  Isengrim and Reynard.  Isengrim is Reynard's uncle, and it looks as if he expects to eat some of that recently deceased chicken.  From what I know of these two Reynard will eat the bird by himself, while the wolf will get a beating for stealing it.


All that was left of Disney's Reynard project.  Robin Hood.


Disney concept drawing, Bill Peet.


Bill Peet.


Sir Tybalt delivers a message to Reynard.


Inspirarium.  Reynard.


Reynard and Isengrim. Gal Yuri.


What's This?


  Superior.  Benjamin Rabier.

'Rabier’s work revolutionised the art of illustration. He was one of the first people to specialize in illustrated books for children and a great number of these featured illustrated animals. He had a real gift for taking an animal and humanising it. He gave his creations human expressions and emotions, and he was one of the first illustrators to have animals feature as leading characters within his work'.

https://illustrationchronicles.com/Illustrated-Animals-The-Wonderful-World-of-Benjamin-Rabier



Irene and Ladislaw Starivich.


Detective Comics.  Sure looks like the work of Jack Kirby.


1920's silhouette illustration.  George Carlson.

https://hybridfabulousfurryfun.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-tortoise-and-hare-ray-harryhausen.html


One more from Theirry Schiel.  I really like this version.  The only full length film I can find out there is in Flemish, so I have only seen a few minutes of this.  Superior animation.


Reynard at the court of King Noble, Wilhelm von Kaulbach, an illustration for Goethe's version.
      Reynard is a series of stories dating back at least 850 years and is social satire, much akin to Aesop.  There is more out there on the web than I will even try to present here, but the fox is a trickster, a thief, a rapist, and a survivor.


Just where you would think Reynard would end up.  Bill Peet.


These must be henchmen or some such.  Reynard does not need help, not at all.  Bill Peet.
     "Van den vos Reynaerde", About Reynard The Fox, was a version published in Holland by author Robert von Genechten in 1936.  The story is of a rhinoceros who proclaims a republic and encourages the animals to mate outside their species.  Hmmmm.  The Nazis decided not to film it as, with Disney, they felt the fox a tad anti-hero.  I am not comparing the two.  Here is the Dutch film, long believed lost.  Oh, and the rhino is named 'Jodocus', Jew-docus in Dutch.


     Well, we can see where this is going.  At last, the German Propaganda division decided to go with an animated version. About Reynard The Fox was never released.  It was a pointless waste of money and time, most the Jews had been deported and the war was not going very well, for the Germans.  'Deport' meant 'put to death' in occupied Holland.


     It is high time that this slander on Reynard's (ahem)!... good name has been reversed!


This is precisely where I am going with this.  Wilhelm von Kaulbach.


900 years old and still going strong.  Fuchs Heil Renard!

Veel plezier met lezen!

But wait, a bonus!


https://youtu.be/oAPLDXEpScc

A 26 episode cartoon, this retells the Reynard story in modern day Paris.  All the old characters are here, just updated.  I was reminded of this by -

Langueo's avatar
https://www.deviantart.com/langueo

...who certainly has forgot more than I ever knew about this, er...high spirited fox!


 

Comments

  1. Foxy FlapperJuly 18, 2020 at 3:00 PM

    It's too bad Disney didn't produce Chanticleer or a movie with Reynard. I would love to see the complete German movie-YouTube has bits and pieces of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy D BunnyJuly 19, 2020 at 12:32 AM

      Yes, a shame that Walt did not produce it. But in that case we would be griping about him not making The Jungle Book.

      Delete
  2. AndibiJuly 18, 2020 at 9:16 PM

    Very cool -- I guess Reynard must be Europe's answer to Br'er Rabbit?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Billy D BunnyJuly 19, 2020 at 12:31 AM

    An excellent analogy. I never thought of that but, sure, yeah, why not? The big difference is that Brer Rabbit is not mean or cruel, Reynard is. Say what you like about the South, only trash were out to hurt people. Oh, and Nathan Bedford Forrest was out to hurt people, you betcha! And John Wesley Hardin, and ...oh, let's just drop it.
    "Let go of my hand, tarbaby, or I'm gonna slap you another one"!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MuzzlehatchAugust 15, 2021 at 3:07 PM

    Of course we mustn't forget Mr. Eichenberg's contribution: http://www.annexgalleries.com/images/items/large/FE109/Reynard-The-Fox-by-Fritz-Eichenberg.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy D BunnyAugust 15, 2021 at 10:05 PM

      Oh, but I never forgets Fritz!-https://misterscribbles.blogspot.com/2021/04/fritz-eichenberg.html

      Delete

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