Anders Rønnow Klarlund’s stunning new film imagines a mythical kingdom populated entirely by stringed puppets. The Emperor of Hebalon dies a dramatic death, taking a terrible secret to the grave with him. His young son, Hal Tara, is set to take over the throne, however, his uncle leads him to believe his father was murdered by the Zeriths, their sworn enemy. Forced to set out to avenge his father’s death, Hal is unaware of the perils he is facing, both inside his kingdom and out. As he faces new challenges on this journey, he ends up discovering the truth about his own people – and where he least expects it – he finds true love. A dramatic tale of adventure, bondage and liberation; of love and war, destiny and vitality, identity and common humanity, Strings is a magical blend of themes that range from Shakespeare to Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings.
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March 22, 2010
#1
This is a movie done entirely with marionette puppets, but unlike Team America, the story is more of a mythological tale of a war that one man (er… puppet) must put a stop to. It’s actually a very long and boring story, and the only thing that makes this movie worth seeing is how fully-realized the world of Strings is. Watching these puppets hobble around and talk about their strings as part of their bodies is very interesting, to say the least. It’s worth watching for the art value, but you won’t get anything else out of it.
March 22, 2010
#2
Anyone who loves a good adventure or simply a good presented story should see this film. Nice ones in awhile to follow a story without being biased by the uses of known actors. You quickly accept the use of these magnificient dolls and scenes. Highly recommendable.
March 22, 2010
#3
I had expected to like this movie better than I did. After all, I live in Denmark, and “Strings” was created by a Danish Director and the production company behind it is to a large extent Danish. Furthermore, I had read several positive articles and reviews about the movie before seeing it.
The whole concept is very interesting. We are watching a puppet movie, but not one where the puppets represent people. Well, yes, they do in a way, but at the same time the puppets represent puppets.
The many strings that go from the various body parts of the puppets and disappear up into the heavens play a major role in the story. A puppet cannot move past any obstacle above his/her head that prevents the strings from passing. To kill a puppet you cut the “head string”, and a new baby puppet is “born” when a new head string is attached to his/her head.
Maybe it’s my background as an engineer that makes me start to think of all the implications of these concepts. Instead of concentrating on the beautiful photography and the metaphorical side of the story (we, as humans, also have “strings” that put limitations on our freedom of movement), I’m thinking about the architectural implications, etc.
The story itself is not particularly innovative. A king dies, the king’s evil brother tricks the king’s son into going on a mission in preparation to waging war on the neighboring puppets, the son slowly but surely determines the truth, he also falls in love, and eventually peace is restored to the land. If it weren’t for the interesting puppet-contra-human aspects it would be rather boring.
This is not a movie for children, because children see the story as boring and aren’t able to grasp the interesting repercussions of the fact that these beings are puppets and not people.
As for adults, I’m sure that many will find the movie innovative and artistic and intellectually stimulating. But then there are the people like me who try to analyze the concept to death, and find it hard to concentrate on the story, while not being particularly impressed by the story.
Rennie Petersen
March 22, 2010
#4
Since you will find everything you could wish about the movie’s plot through the net I am keeping my review for the “general” “likes” and “dislikes” I found through the DVD and a “would like” in case any “collectors” or “special” edition is considered in the near future:
LIKES:
Certainly the general treatment of “Strings” is not a novelity for average cinema aficionados (Good against bad). However it is not the what, but how is this treatment “dressed”, which deserves some considering:
1)A great opportunity for puppets to demonstrate their capacity to give quite satisfactory dramatic entertainment, over the usual slapstick light humor (even if they are both equally valid resources)in cinema. All this, being just what they are: wooden marionettes, not animatronics or computer animations.
2)The skillful manipulation of marionettes (combined with a great hability from the director, photographers and editor) to keep an agile rithm and pace throughout the story (something otherwise quite difficult to achieve in action scenes due to the limitations of using long string puppets).
2)Symbolism between the strings holding different parts of each “marionette-character” and the relevance of the “head string”. Where do the strings come from? Who is the puppet and who is the puppeteer?, every question equally valid to our “real” life, including the heading title “Tied by hate… Bound by love”.
3)The outstanding labour of Mr. Joakim Zacho Weylandt in capturing every character’s essence through different kinds of wood (an experience worth to see!).
So far, so good…then, you may ask yourself: -”why the three stars?”-.
DISLIKES:
The DVD was an opportunity to complete what the movie “may” have lost for lack of time near the deadline. Nevertheless this was not the case. Wellspring Media Inc. or Genius Entertainment failed their opportunity to offer a good quality product in:
1) Filling the DVD with other trailers of their releases not even close to the genere or concept treated in Strings.
2) Problems in their transfer (at least in the copy I purchased) in the scene where Hal’s sister (Jhinna I guess), is about to be killed. In a close up to Jhinna’s face, the shot seems to be zoomed in and out for very few frames making it feel like a jump in the image (unless it is a shot resource unknown to me up to now).
3) Their “Behind the Scenes” feature is really disappointing. No presentation (no credits), no interviews, everything with direct cut, even the end, which, by the way is abrupt and seems like Wellspring Media told the DVD responsibles “-Sorry! there is no more time, we have to get the DVD complete by tomorrow, leave the way it is-”.
Come on people! we are the costumers, and we also deserve good products you know!
WOULD LIKE:
A more in deep behind the scenes fetturete, interviews with the cast and the master puppetbuilder.
CONCLUSION:
A great movie to see, a better DVD should be done.
March 22, 2010
#5
Other reviewers have commented on how wonderful this film is and they’re right. That you can take a movie starring marionettes and direct them in such a way that the audience feels for them as they would characters in any live action movie is a remarkable feat. Thanks to great voice over work by notable actors, these puppets become true characters.
The story is decent but not great. Somewhat Shakespearean in its content, it involves the death of a king by his own hand with the need to get a message to his son to take up the reins and right a terrible wrong done to another race of people. Unfortunately the message never gets to the son but is instead intercepted by the king’s 2nd in command who now is going to further the wrongdoing.
It is directed like a regular, live action movie with camera angles, close-ups, nifty lighting, great sets and near seamless editing. The characters all have unique faces and voices furthering the sense that you are watching real people. What really caps things off is the fact that these characters know they are attached to strings and that these strings are their life and death. One scene depicting the change of a piece of wood carved like a child into the actual coming to life of that child through the attaching of the strings is at once eerie and touching.
I don’t know that I’d go back and watch this again merely because the story could have been better, but the achievement is great and should be seen by everyone with a true love of film.