Threnody for the Death of a Horse (1968)

Plot Summary

A viewer sees how a picture of a horse appears on a white sheet of paper. The horse emerges from successive traces of a black felt-tip pen. The horse is shown in various positions and fragmentary close-ups. It also takes on a disturbing abstract shape of a transparent huddled creature. It looks dead with its lack of limbs, visible ribs and deep eye sockets. It evokes associations with horses who were victims of hostilities. Its contours are blurring. It falls apart. The animated film for adults directed by Jan Tkaczyk, the cinematographer of several dozen animated films. The director used drawings by Barbara Jonscher, a Polish painter and cartoonist, from the ‘Arsenal’ generation. The context of her works often refers to literary works. The series of horse drawings was inspired by Bertold Brecht's poems with anti-war meaning. Andrzej Kurylewicz is the author of jazz music in this film.