The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the earliest existing animated feature film (released 11 years before Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). It is also the only silent animated feature that still exists. There were at least two animated features made before this 1917's El Apostol and 1918's Without a Trace both of these were directed by Argentinian film maker Quirino Cristiani and both are unfortunately lost films.
The main director of this film was Lotte Reiniger. She was one of the leading pioneers in silhouette animation. This was a rare feature for her, since most of her work was in short films. Much of her career was spent making animated shorts based on fairy tales. These shorts would include The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Puss in Boots, Snow White and the Rose Bed and quite a few more. Her co-director on this film was her husband Carl Koch (who is also the film's cinematographer). Carl Koch might also be known by film buffs for his work with the great French director Jean Renoir. He would work as a technical adviser on Renoir's The Grand Illusion and a writer on The Rules of the Game and Le Marselillaise, After Koch died in 1963, his wife would give up film making.
One of the animators on this film was Walter Ruttmann, who film buffs might now as the director of Berlin: A Symphony of a Great City, one of the Cinematographers for Fritz Lang's Metropolis and a writer on Leni Riefenstahl's Thruimph of the Will. Also animating on this film was Alexander Kardan, whose on two other credits were as an animator on two other animated films by Lotte Reiniger, Cinderella, and Snow white and the Rose Bed, as well as Berthod Bartosch, who had a very short career as a director of animated short films (however it included The Idea which was a great work of art). This film was done in silhouette animation, which uses paper cut outs moved piece by piece.
The story which is inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights, begins as an evil magician with his eyes on the beautiful Princess, shows off some of his new tricks to the kingdom. After performing his tricks he is told he can have anything in the Kingdom, and he chooses the princess. The Prince obejects so the magician tricks him into flying away on his flying horse, without letting him know how to land. Prince Achmed most find his way back home.Along the way he meets Aladdin, a witch, and the beautiful Pari Banu, who all help him on his journey.
This film is fantastic. The visuals are absolutely stunning. The film is amazing to look at from beginning to the end. However like many great films these visuals help tell the story, instead of just being there looking pretty. The add a scope and a sense of amazement which is needed for a fairy tale movie. The story itself while nothing that original is very charming.
This film is also a part of the German Expressionist movie that was popular in Germany during the silent era with such films as The Cabinet of DR. Caligari and Nosfertu. This movement was a moving away from realism in art. The abstract backgrounds and great designs make this film as a much a part of that movement as the live action films of F.W. Marnau, Fritz Lang, Robert Weine or G.W. Pabst.
The original negative of this film was destroyed during the Battle of Berlin during 1945. Fortunately however the film was persevered in another way.The British Film Institute had a copy that used to show British audiences. This film has been restored as much as possible, and today we can see it on TCM, DVD and other places.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Recourses Used
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/438055/The-Adventures-of-Prince-Achmed/articles.html
http://www.silentfilm.org/archive/the-adventures-of-prince-achmed
The Animated Movie Guide by Jerry Beck
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