Whether or not Jan Svankmajer and Terry Gilliam were aware of each other's work, specifically that of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975) and Svanjmejer's animation work in his 1977 "Castle of Otranto" (adaptation of the 1764 Horace Walpole (1717-1797) story of the same name), I don't know. Styles of art can be very individual or similar, so I'm making no judgment here other than to say the animation work in both seems similar, as does the inclusion of a documentary story line in both films. If you've read the Walpole story, there will be no real spoilers here - if you've not, you might want to read the story before finishing this review.
In "Castle of Otranto" the documentary aspect is supplied with portions of an interview interspersed with animations of the story. The Czechoslovakavian theorist's view is that nowhere in Italy or Sicily is there a castle as described in the story (which appeared in a first edition on 24 December 1764, claiming to be a translation by "William Marshall from the original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto" - in the second edition of 11 April 1765 Walpole dropped the pseudonym). As the moving tape on a reel to reel recorder is shown, the theorist tells of receiving a postcard of the ruins of a Czechoslovakian castle which he maintains is the one referenced in the Italian story. He cites cultural contacts between his country and Italy since 868 and notes that Petrarch visited Prague.
He tells of a 1938 excavation that turned up horn material that was discovered to be from ostrich feathers, which knights commonly wore on helmets, and in 1934 an extremely large rivet from a knight's armour was discovered. He continues with noting that microscopic metal fragments were found in doorways and other stones in the castle.
(*possible* spoiler below, if you're unaware of the origins of the original story, which I've already mentioned)
While sitting outside the castle ruins, the interviewer expresses his incredulity at the story and points out that the horn material later was to be found out to be from a cow, and the rivet was actually a piece of a fire hydrant. Following the accusation of falsehood, a giant hand breaks through part of the castle structure, showering debris on the two men.
If you like this type of faux documentary, you might also want to take a look at Peter Jackson's "Forgotten Silver", which maintains that before D.W. Griffith's first film, a New Zealand filmmaker shot a musical version of Salome. This "mockumentary" was subsequently aired on New Zealand television and not a few kiwis went for it hook, line, and sinker.
In "Castle of Otranto" the documentary aspect is supplied with portions of an interview interspersed with animations of the story. The Czechoslovakavian theorist's view is that nowhere in Italy or Sicily is there a castle as described in the story (which appeared in a first edition on 24 December 1764, claiming to be a translation by "William Marshall from the original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto" - in the second edition of 11 April 1765 Walpole dropped the pseudonym). As the moving tape on a reel to reel recorder is shown, the theorist tells of receiving a postcard of the ruins of a Czechoslovakian castle which he maintains is the one referenced in the Italian story. He cites cultural contacts between his country and Italy since 868 and notes that Petrarch visited Prague.
He tells of a 1938 excavation that turned up horn material that was discovered to be from ostrich feathers, which knights commonly wore on helmets, and in 1934 an extremely large rivet from a knight's armour was discovered. He continues with noting that microscopic metal fragments were found in doorways and other stones in the castle.
(*possible* spoiler below, if you're unaware of the origins of the original story, which I've already mentioned)
While sitting outside the castle ruins, the interviewer expresses his incredulity at the story and points out that the horn material later was to be found out to be from a cow, and the rivet was actually a piece of a fire hydrant. Following the accusation of falsehood, a giant hand breaks through part of the castle structure, showering debris on the two men.
If you like this type of faux documentary, you might also want to take a look at Peter Jackson's "Forgotten Silver", which maintains that before D.W. Griffith's first film, a New Zealand filmmaker shot a musical version of Salome. This "mockumentary" was subsequently aired on New Zealand television and not a few kiwis went for it hook, line, and sinker.
