Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (1926)

Director:

Lotte Reiniger
(more)

Writers:

(more)

Release Date:

20 June 1929 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

A handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Prince | Sorcerer | Princess | Sister

Directed by
Lotte Reiniger
Carl Koch		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lotte Reiniger		uncredited

Original Music by
Wolfgang Zeller

Cinematography by
Carl Koch		(director of photography) (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ulli Elfert	....	sound engineer (2001 alternate version: Primrose Film Productions Ltd.)
Eberhard Leschin	....	sound engineer (2001 alternate version: Primrose Film Productions Ltd.)
Michael Schubert	....	sound director (2001 alternate version: Primrose Film Productions Ltd.)

Animation Department
Lotte Reiniger	....	animator
Carl Koch	....	animator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Nina Goslar	....	commissioning editor (2001 alternate version)

Music Department
Klaus-Peter Beyer	....	music producer (2001 alternate version)
Helmut Imig	....	conductor: Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg (2001 alternate version)
Torsten Scholz	....	orchestra leader: Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg (2001 alternate version)

Other crew
Berthold Bartosch	....	collaborator (as Berthold Bartose)
Alexander Kardan	....	collaborator
Carl Koch	....	technical director
Walter Ruttmann	....	collaborator (as Walther Ruttmann)
Walter Türk	....	collaborator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Comenius-Film GmbH

Distributors

• Universum Film (UFA) (1926) (Germany) (theatrical)
• University Arts Foundation (1931) (USA) (theatrical)
• Audio Brandon Films (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Milestone Film & Video (2003) (USA) (TV) (as Milestone Films) (2001 alternate version)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Deutsches Filmmuseum Frankfurt  restoration (2001 alternate version)
• Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg  orchestra (2001 alternate version)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Runtime:

65 min (24 fps) | USA:66 min (2001 alternate version) | Germany:81 min (18 fps)

Country:

Germany

Color:

Black and White (tinted and toned)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:PG | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Comenius-Film GmbH

Trivia:

The oldest existing full-length animated film.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Dazzling animated film in silhouette!

From the "Arabian Nights" this is a German silent animated film (with music score and color tints). It tells the story of Prince Achmed and hid adventures when he gets on a flying horse. He falls in love with Princess Peri Banu, fights the evil Sorcerer and meets up with the Fire Mountain Witch (!!) and Aladdin (whose story is also told).

This was done in silhouette animation--they use cutouts instead of drawings and film them frame by frame moving each piece a little at a time--this took three years to complete!

It's truly incredible--the cutouts are incredibly detailed and the animation itself is flawless--the characters move very smoothly. The story moves briskly and the color tints and great music score just complement the animation perfectly. Sadly this is little known. Maybe with the restored version playing it will get the recognition it richly deserves.

A great film for the whole family--if the kids don't mind reading subtitles.