14 min. / Czech / dir. Jiří Brdečka
An incredible retelling of the myth of Orpheus, inspired by Ovid. The film includes his ill-fated marriage to Eurydice, his unsuccessful trip to the underworld to retrieve her, and his violent death at the hands of a band of Bacchants — all told through depictions drawn from famous ancient Roman frescoes. These include the Dionysiac scene from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii and the Flora fresco from Stabiae, to name just two.
The film concludes with a juxtaposition of scenes of Orpheus’ death with live-action footage of volcanoes exploding and lava flows that ultimately overtake the frescoes and the figure of Orpheus. The famed casts of those who died in the eruption of Vesuvius appear as well. In the end there is a series of images that seem to equate Orpheus with Jesus and later saints, and the final image suggests the musical hero’s return to life.
The film features no dialog, but there are three intertitles in Czech that move the narration forward. The musical score is particularly haunting.
Many critics have read it as a parable about the immortality of art and culture in the face of oppression, and suggest that the authorities interpreted it as a statement against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. The film was banned soon after its premiere and remained unseen for many years.
More: https://www.filmovyprehled.cz/en/film/399109/metamorpheus
Animated Antiquity 
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