Springman and the SS
| Springman and the SS | |
|---|---|
| Directed by |
Jiří Brdečka Jiří Trnka |
| Written by |
Jiří Brdečka Eduard Hofman Ota Safránek (story) Jiří Trnka |
| Music by | Jan Rychlík |
Release dates | 1946 |
Running time | 14 minutes |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
Springman and the SS (Czech: Pérák a SS) is a 1946 Czechoslovak animated short film directed by Jiří Brdečka and Jiří Trnka featuring Pérák, the Spring Man of Prague. The film is also known as The Chimney Sweep in the USA.
Plot
A chimney sweep disguises as a Spring-heeled Jack-like figure during the Nazi occupation. The heroic and mischievous black-clad "Springer", with a mask fashioned out of a sock and defying the curfew, is capable of performing fantastic leaps due to having couch springs attached to his shoes. He taunts the occupying German army sentries and the Gestapo before escaping in a surrealistic, slapstick chase across the darkened city.
Soundtrack
- Sung by bird - "Yankee Doodle"
Cultural impact
Trnka's postwar interpretation of Pérák as a quasi-superhero formed the basis for sporadic revivals of the character in Czech science fiction and comic book stories.
DVD releases
Pérák a SS is featured in a DVD anthology of World War II propaganda cartoons, Cartoons for Victory, which was released on May 2, 2006.
External links
- Springman and the SS at the Internet Movie Database
- The short film Springman and the SS is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Video on YouTube