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DELUXE LIMITED EDITION OF 3000 UNITS
Our third volume of classic & rare Soviet animated gems from the vaults of Soyuzmultfilm studios is focused on the short films of legendary animator Yuri Norstein (b. 1941). This first-ever U.S. Blu-ray release of Norstein’s films features several rare shorts new to home video, all newly restored by Deaf Crocodile and co-presented with Seagull Films:
THE 25TH, THE FIRST DAY (25-E - PERVYY DEN) - 1968, 9 min., co-dir. Arkadiy Tyurin. Norstein's first film is a visually striking tribute to the Bolshevik Revolution on October 25th.
SEASONS (VREMENA GODA) - 1969, 9 min. A man and woman ride through the forest while the seasons change around them in this lovely, elegiac short set to music by Tchaikovsky.
CHILDREN AND MATCHES (DETI I SPICHKI) - 1969, 5 min. Norstein’s rarely-seen educational short about the dangers of matches, from ancient times up to today.
THE BATTLE OF KERZHENETS (SECHA PRI KERZHENTSE) - 1971, 10 min., co-dir. Ivan Ivanov-Vano. Arguably Norstein's first great animated film, inspired by the legend of the City of Kitezh which disappeared into a lake to avoid Mongol invaders.
THE FOX & THE HARE (LISA I ZAYATS) – 1973, 12 min. Norstein’s utterly charming short about a temperamental "house-filching fox" who boots a poor rabbit out of its home. The rabbit turns to a wolf, bear, bull and rooster for help, with surprising results.
THE HERON & THE CRANE (TSAPLYA I ZHURAVL) - 1974, 10 min. An awkward crane and a high-spirited heron go back and forth on marrying each other, in this heartbreaking short about romantic misunderstandings.
HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG (YOZHIK V TUMANE) – 1975, 11 min. The deceptively epic journey of the tiny hedgehog, filled with impossible marvels and dangers: a shimmering white horse and a crafty owl. A fluttering bat, a falling leaf and the ever-present curtain of fog. Widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever made.
A DAY BEFORE OUR ERA (ZA DEN DO’ NASHEY ERY) – 1977, 6 min. Co-dir. Fyodor Khitruk. This experimental collage of images of the French Revolution was apparently abandoned before it was finished, and remains one of Norstein’s rarest films.
THE TALE OF TALES (SKAZKA SKAZOK) – 1979, 29 min. Norstein's longest film to date, TALE is a story about stories, a dream of many dreams. A giant bull and a little girl skip rope. Couples dance under a streetlight until the male partners disappear, headed off to war. And through it all, the Little Grey Wolf watches silently at the rondo of human loves and losses.
All short films in Russian with English subtitles.
Special Features
YURI NORSTEIN: MAKING THE OVERCOAT – 2019, Stage Russia, 109 min., dir. Ryo Saitani. Forty years ago, Norstein began work on an ambitious adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat, but after completing 25 glorious minutes of the film, the project stalled. A Japanese film crew visited Norstein’s studio and found mountains of sketches, character studies and a shooting table covered with dust. When will his much-awaited work finally be completed?
- New commentary tracks by film scholar Michael Brooke.
- New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester.
- New artwork by Beth Morris.
- Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion.
Deluxe Edition Bonus Content
- Slipcase featuring new artwork by Haleigh Buck
- 60-page illustrated book
- New Essay by Jenny Barker
- New Essay by John Adkins
- New Essay by Walter Chaw
Yuri Norstein short films © Soyuzmultfilm / TwelveP Animation FZ LLC, under license to Deaf Crocodile Films 2024 / 2025. MAKING THE OVERCOAT © Stage Russia, under license to Deaf Crocodile 2025. All other Special Features © Deaf Crocodile Films 2025.
