This World-War-Two era French cartoon was nominally one of the escapist sort of movie favored by the authorities during the Occupation, but a lot of the imagery reeks of French populism and distrust of the sort of person who profited in those perilous times: a scarecrow is actually the protector of a cuckoo and his lover (apparently a lyrebird), and a cat in a long black coat, carrying a satchel, comes by and wants to eat the birds. Black marketers? Collaborator? Jew? I suppose it depends whether you're talking to the censor or the movie-goer.
There's a bit of raciness, a bit of Bugs-Bunny style tomfoolery, but visually this can best be compared with Paul Terry cartoons of the period. The musical soundtrack has a bit more of a serious orchestral sense to it, light and programmatic. All in all, a very nice little cartoon with just enough of a political content peeking through to lend a quiet fascination to it.
There's a bit of raciness, a bit of Bugs-Bunny style tomfoolery, but visually this can best be compared with Paul Terry cartoons of the period. The musical soundtrack has a bit more of a serious orchestral sense to it, light and programmatic. All in all, a very nice little cartoon with just enough of a political content peeking through to lend a quiet fascination to it.
