I interpreted Vladimir Degtyaryov's "Konets Chyornoy topi" (Russian for "the end of the black swamp") as a subtle look at humans' impact on the natural landscape, as the airplane and helicopter irritate the wood goblin so much that he ventures outside the forest, where he hears a lecturer saying that wood goblins are a superstition, and then returns home to news that the swamp will get drained.* Sure happens a lot. A strange irony is that one of the places most impacted by humans - Chernobyl - is now reclaimed by nature: animals roam the area. Indeed, countless places abandoned by humans are now overrun by foliage.

Anyway, it's an interesting cartoon. I've liked most of the old Soviet cartoons that I've seen. The song sung at the lecture is "Podmoskovnye vechera" ("Moscow Nights"), one of the most famous Soviet songs. I once came up with a spoof of it all about "The Big Bang Theory" (entirely in Russian, mind you).

Worth seeing.

*By contrast, Donald "drain the swamp" Trump has filled his administration with millionaires.

PS: producer Vladimir Danilevich and star Georgiy Vitsin died thirteen days apart in October 2001.

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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The End of the Black Marsh

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