Daily post 25 Jul 2013 08:45 am
Candide 1
- For some time, after Bob Blechman completed his PBS special, A Soldier’s Tale, he tried to develop several ideas as animated features. He worked hard to produce some exquisite animated samples for potential projects.
Candide was one that took the most energy and a fine piece of film was produced to showcase what he and his studio would do with this famous tale. Unfortunately, there were no takers, and this project was shelved along with some other classic ideas.
For this pilot, about ten mins. long, Tissa David and Ed Smith did most of the animation – Tissa took the lion’s share of the piece.
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2I have a copy of the pilot and thought it’d be worth posting some of the frame grabs from the piece to give you an idea of it. The entire film uses lengthy scenes and fluidly moving camera – no doubt an addition of Tissa David’s work. As the title card reads, these sequences aren’t presented to tell a story; they’re designed to highlight the animated fare.
3(Click any image to enlarge.)
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7The title acts like a theatrical canvas wherein . . .
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. . . one, “Optimism”, overrides the other, “Candide”.
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Theatrically, all of the characters are introduced in CU cards.
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Part II is introduced with another opened curtain.
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Here the color runs out with well groomed P.T. by Tissa.
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This long pan leads to another sequence end.
More to come, soon.
on 25 Jul 2013 at 9:34 am 1.Richard O'Connor said …
The ballroom sequence is Tissa’s, the rest of the stuff here is Ed’s.
We did a color version of the ballroom as well, but it may have been lost to the ages.
on 25 Jul 2013 at 9:50 am 2.anik said …
Looks so beautiful, what a pity it hasn’t happened.
on 25 Jul 2013 at 11:05 am 3.Ray Kosarin said …
Who in their right mind could pass on this? Candide all but cries out to be animated, and it’s impossible to imagine a better team to do right by its delicate balance of sly comedy and poignancy than RO, Tissa, Ed and company.
on 25 Jul 2013 at 12:46 pm 4.Brian said …
I really loved ‘A Soldiers Tale’ when I was younger and had heard about Candide. I wonder with digital outlets for entertainment and communication if the project would have had a better chance of success?
on 25 Jul 2013 at 3:42 pm 5.the Gee said …
Thanks for showing this.
So, none of this has been shown before now?
on 25 Jul 2013 at 5:21 pm 6.Tom Minton said …
I was a member of the Blue Ribbon Emmy committee that voted for “A Soldier’s Tale” in 1984. It was far and away the best thing in contention in its category that year. It certainly seemed as if Mr. Blechman’s studio would get to do more in the wake of “A Soldier’s Tale.” Seeing the “Candide” material, it remains a mystery as to why it did not.
on 26 Jul 2013 at 12:51 am 7.Star said …
It feels as though if European artworks were simplified for the sake of moving animation. I love it.
..Last scene I kinda felt hungry. Really.