Black and White (1932 film)

Black and White
Directed by	Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Leonid Amalrik
Written by	Vladimir Mayakovsky (based on his poem), Iosif Sklyut
Music by	German Hamburg
Animation by	A. Bergengrin, E. Felzer, K. Malyshev, Erich Wilhelm Steiger
Production company	Mezhrabpomfilm
Release date	1932 (1932)
Running time	7 minutes
Country	Soviet Union

Black and White is a 1932 Soviet animated short film directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Leonid Amalrik. Based on the poem of the same name written By Vladimir Maykovsky.

It was narrated and voiced by Konstantin Eggert.

Themes

The film addresses issues of racism in the Southern United States sugar industry. Themes of racial injustice, racial violence, working-class solidarity dominate the film. It depicts black men working in a field, walking in chains, sitting behind bars, and being executed in an electric chair. In most scenes, a white authority figure is seen whipping or guarding the men. The last image of the film is Vladimir Lenin's last name. The soundtrack of the film is the traditional Negro spiritual entitled "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child". sung by the famous singer Paul Robeson.

Aesthetic approach

Stylistically the animated short, like many other European animated films, places emphasis the communication of ideas and messages; a direct contrast to the style favored by Disney, which sought to "create relatable characters with expressive personalities and attitudes."

See also

• Russian animation
• Soviet cinema

External links

• Blek end uayt IMDB page
• Black And White on YouTube