This is The Celestial Creature (Russian: Небесное создание or “Nebesnoe Sozdanie”), a Russian puppet film produced at the Soviet animation studio Soyuzmultfilm in 1956. Co-directed by Georgi Natanson and Russia’s famed master puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov – who also co-wrote and narrated the film – it’s a masterpiece of mid-20th century puppetry.
The official description of the film is as follows:
A concert is about to begin, but its star performer, a legendary tenor, is still at home, leisurely taking his time to get ready. Meanwhile, the stage managers and other performers scramble to stall until he arrives. After more distractions––a missing cufflink, a black cat crossing his path––the tenor finally arrives. He’s too late. A young singer named Ptenchikova has taken his place in the show and is a major hit. The star walks out, defeated.
The Celestial Creature was a hit with audiences, and was based upon Obraztsov’s stage work, especially his acclaimed production An Unusual Concert. The film’s outstanding puppetry was performed by puppeteers from Obraztsov’s State Central Puppet Theatre, which was also presumably involved in building the puppets.
A truly remarkable puppet film.
