Review of Strings

Introduction

Puppetry as entertainment has always been a part of British culture. I grew up with the Thunderbirds and the Muppet show, and children would find watching Saturday morning television odd indeed if the human presenters didn`t have a furry or rubbery sidekick. It`s strange then that puppets in movies are so rare, especially films that tell serious stories. While comedy seems ripe for the genre, with the aforementioned Muppets and the recent Team America movie performing successfully, the only film that I can recall of a more serious bent is Jim Henson`s experimental Dark Crystal. The European production Strings takes a more traditional route, with classical marionettes telling a mythological tale, but with a unique twist.

King Kahro of Hebalon approaches the end of his reign consumed with remorse for his role in the continuing war with the Zerith rebels. Before committing suicide, he writes a letter to his son and heir, Hal explaining this, and hoping that he will atone for his father`s misdeeds. He also warns Hal of his duplicitous Uncle Nezo who seeks power at any price, and that his sister Jhinna will be in danger. Before Hal gets a chance to read his father`s farewell, Nezo finds the corpse and destroys the letter. Making the king`s death look like a Zerith attack, he persuades Hal to seek out vengeance against the Zeriths. Hal leaves with his guard Erito, and Nezo assumes control of Hebalon. Nezo has no intention of relinquishing his grip over the kingdom, and his right hand man Ghrak applies a little judicious blackmail to Erito, guaranteeing the young king`s early demise.

Video

Fremantle Media are one of the companies that were affected by July`s fire at VDC`s factory. It`s no surprise then that the review copy for Strings came on a DVD+R. This being the 21st Century, it`s a dual layer DVD+R that comes with all the trimmings, and hopefully it`s identical to the final release product.

Well, actually not quite hopefully, as Strings is presented at an anamorphic ratio of 1.85:1 cropped down from the original theatrical release of 2.35:1, as can be seen in the accompanying documentary. It`s a terrible shame, as Strings is such a visual feast that it deserves to be seen at the original aspect ratio, with all the picture information available. It`s only been a few months since the film`s theatrical release, so as you would expect, the image quality is clear and sharp with absolutely no sign of print damage. There is some grain though, made more evident in the darker scenes. However, the lush imagery comes across well, and the character designs are intricate and beautifully realised. The puppets are at once simple and complex. There are no moving lips and the faces look classical and timeless, but the puppets under the guidance of the puppeteers are capable of complex and intricate movements, and battle sequences, dances, and even underwater scenes are stunningly effective.

Audio

You get a choice of English soundtracks in DD 5.1 and DD 2.0. Listening to the surround, I found it effective in conveying the action with some nice directional placement of effects. The music is simple but suits the story well. However, subtitles are lacking from the main feature.

Features

Prominent on this disc is an hour-long documentary, The World Of Strings that looks at the production of the film, from pre-production to the final day of shooting. As I mentioned earlier, you can see the original aspect ratio of the film in the clips herein. There`s plenty of behind the scenes footage too, with a look at the storyboards and the creation of the characters. There`s input from all members of the crew, from the director to the puppeteers. Also the producer tells of how he had to sell his car to help raise the money required for the film. It`s a nice detailed documentary that is an excellent accompaniment to the film. As most of the production team is Danish, there are burnt in subtitles for the featurette, but they aren`t language specific, appearing for the English speakers as well. One drawback is that the subtitles occasionally obscure the screen captions announcing the name and role of the next speaker on screen.

The disc has the ubiquitous theatrical trailer that in this case gives too much of the film away, a text statement from the director running to 4 pages, and a photo gallery containing 15 stills from the film.

Conclusion

Most films and shows made with puppets would go to extravagant lengths to hide the fact that they are puppets, wanting the audience to accept them as alive and `real`. Strings doesn`t do that at all, it accepts that the characters are puppets, emphasises that fact and builds the world around that fact. And that changes everything. These are characters that are aware they are puppets, their very strings give them life, and a strong spirituality too, when those strings seem come down from heaven. Naturally this is a world without roofs, where to close off a city and seal the inhabitants in only requires raising a bar above head height at the gates. A person loses a limb when the strings to that limb are cut, and death occurs when the string to the head is severed. It also introduces a macabre trade in limb replacement, where a body part is taken from a slave or prisoner with the strings still attached, and then grafted on to whoever is rich and powerful enough to afford it. The worldview also extends to childbirth, where the father carves the newborn, and the strings for the child separate from the mother`s strings, and the child takes its first breath when its head string is attached. It`s an imaginative, wondrous and fully realised world that takes the breath away to experience.

The story is ever so slightly disappointing however, in that it is the type of mythological tale that has been told for thousands of years. A king dies and leaves his kingdom to his son, but the king`s evil brother usurps him. The son then leaves on a quest for vengeance, but eventually finds succour and strength at the heart of his enemies. He learns a secret and a truth that will affect the way he sees himself, and eventually he has to return to regain his kingdom. Throw in betrayal, oracles, and an evil henchman who lusts after the prince`s sister and you have all the ingredients of a story that has been told again and again in many a form. It`s also a story that crosses borders and language barrier, made easier when the puppets` mouths don`t move. The English language cast contains such luminaries as Sir Derek Jacobi, Ian Hart and Julian Glover, but I`m sure that it would translate to any language with ease.

Story aside, Strings is a visual spectacle that doesn`t disappoint. If all you have experienced of marionettes is the rather camp work of Gerry Anderson, then this film will change your perceptions no end. There is elegance to the characters, sureness to their motion that conveys feelings and passions with a strength that I would have thought impossible. There are characters with power, characters with sensuality and grace that help immerse you in the story. I quickly forgot the technicalities of the medium and found myself lost in a classic tale told well. While Strings is a film that the family can watch, it does explore some very adult concepts that may preclude the younger members of the audience from appreciating it. If that isn`t an excuse for grown ups to watch this film first after the little ones have gone to bed, to savour its remarkable invention, I don`t know what is. A shame that the film wasn`t presented in the original aspect ratio, but Strings is a masterpiece of invention that has to be seen to be believed.