Dogodivščine princa Ahmeda / Die Abentauer des Prinzen Achmed / The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Dogodivščine princa Ahmeda / Die Abentauer des Prinzen Achmed / The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Nemčija / Germany 1926, 35 mm, 66’

Nemi film z živo glasbeno spremljavo in s slovenskim prevodom nemških mednapisov, za otroke od osmega leta (8+) / Silent film with live music accompaniment and Slovenian anslation of German intertitles, suitable for children above 8 (8+).

Režija / Directed by: Lotte Reiniger
Scenarij / Script: Lotte Reiniger na podlagi zgodbe iz Tisoč in ene noči / Lotte Reiniger based on the Arabian Nights legends
Animacija / Animation: Lotte Reiniger
Likovna podoba / Art Design: Lotte Reiniger, Walther Ruttmann, Berthold Bartosch, Walter Türk, Alexander Kardan
Kamera / Photography: Carl Koch
Glasba / Music: Andrej Goričar
Izvirna partitura v izvedbi / Original Music Score Executed by: Oksana Pečeny, violina Andrej Goričar, klavir
Produkcija / Production: Comenius-Film Berlin

Film nas popelje v daljno preteklost na Bližnjem vzhodu, kjer so vladali sultani, kalifi in hudobni vezirji. Zlobni čarovnik ukane princa Ahmeda, da zajezdi letečega konja. Tako Ahmed odleti na pot okrog sveta, kjer sreča prelepo vladarico otoka Peri Banu. V trenutku se zaljubi vanjo in jo odpelje z otoka duhov.
Zgodba ponuja nešteto čudes, pravljičnih bitij in dvornih dam, čarovnikov in duhov, princev in princes … ne manjka niti Aladin s svojo magično svetilko. Dogodivščine princa Ahmeda je napet in domišljijsko bogat film, v katerem gledalci občasno zadržujejo dih in stiskajo pesti za svoje junake …

Nemška režiserka Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981) je za nemi animirani film, osnovan na zgodbah iz Tisoč in ene noči, porabila tri leta. Gre za najstarejši ohranjen animirani celovečerni film (prej je v Argentini dva ustvaril Quirino Cristiani, vendar veljata za izgubljena), v njem pa je uporabljena tehnika animacije s silhuetami, ki jo je iznašla Lotte Reiniger in temelji na manipulaciji izrezkov iz kartona in tankih plasti svinca pod kamero. Tehnika, ki jo je uporabljala za kamero, je podobna senčnim lutkam Wayang (le da jih je ona animirala sličico za sličico, namesto da bi jih manipulirala v živem dogajanju). Izvirne filmske kopije so bile ročno pobarvane. Zgodba temelji na podrobnostih iz zbirke Tisoč in ena noč, posebej na zgodbi Kraljevič Ahmed in vila Peribanu, ki je izšla v knjigi The Blue Fairy Book Andrewa Langa.


Po skoraj petinosemdesetih letih ta očarljivi film še vedno velja za veliko klasiko animacije, ki je lepa, hipnotična in neverjetno zapeljiva. Projekcijo tega kinematografskega zaklada s čudovito osveženimi barvami bo spremljala živa izvedba sijajne nove partiture izpod peresa Andreja Goričarja. Vznemirljiv, čuten in bleščeč film Princ Ahmed bo navdušil tako otroke kot filmoljubce vseh starosti.

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Lotte Reiniger, ki se je rodila leta 1899 v berlinskem okrožju Charlottenburg, velja za začetnico animacije s silhuetami. Zahvaljujoč edinstvenemu talentu nam je zapustila znaten opus, ki obsega več kot štirideset filmov v tej tehniki. Že kot otrok je bila odločena, da bo delala v industriji zabave, vendar je bila njena prva želja postati igralka. Pri rosnih šestnajstih se je srečala s filmskim režiserjem in zvezdnikom Paulom Wegenerjem. Študirala je pri slavnem gledališkem režiserju Maxu Reinhardtu in že takrat doživela prvo razsvetljenje pri delu s silhuetami. Ko je iz zaodrja opazovala predstave, so jo prevzeli obrisi igralcev v siju reflektorjev. To jo je spodbudilo k izdelovanju silhuetnih portretov in kmalu se je začela resno zanimati za umetnost. Hkrati je pridobivala spretnosti, ki jih ima celo danes malo animatorjev, namreč prefinjenega izražanja emocij s telesnimi gibi. Lotte je v film in filmsko produkcijo vpeljal Paul Wegener. Pomagala mu je pri animiranju, poleg tega je za nekaj njegovih del izdelala naslovne animacije. Navdušen nad njenimi sposobnostmi pri izrezovanju silhuet jo je povabil na Institut fur Kulturforschung, kjer je začela ustvarjati kratke animirane filme, ki so temeljili na igri senc. Spoznala je Carla Kocha, uglednega umetnostnega zgodovinarja, s katerim je bila pozneje v intimnem razmerju. Carl ji je vseskozi pomagal pri tehničnih vidikih filmskega ustvarjanja, seznanil pa jo je tudi z mnogimi pomembnimi berlinskimi umetniki, na primer Bertoltom Brechtom in Hansom Richterjem. Čeprav Carl in Lotte nista bila Juda, sta bila tesno povezana s politično levico in sta obžalovala vzpon nacizma. Leta 1933 sta takoj poskusila zapustiti Nemčijo, a nista dobila emigracijskih viz. Lotte je leta 1933 v Franciji sodelovala pri Pabstovem filmu, vendar se je morala vrniti v Nemčijo, nato pa je med rednimi “dopusti” v Angliji, Grčiji in drugje, kjer si je iskala zatočišče, dokončala naslednjih šest filmov. Leta 1936 sta se skupaj odločila, da za vselej zapustita Nemčijo, tudi če bi to pomenilo nenehne selitve, kar se je zares zgodilo. Carla je v Parizu zaposlil Jean Renoir, medtem ko je Lotte v Angliji pridobila podporo za filme v tehniki silhuet. Leta 1980 se je ustalila v Dettenhausnu v bližini Tübingena, kjer je leto pozneje tudi umrla.


Andrej Goričar se je rodil leta 1971 v Ljubljani. Med študijem klavirja na ljubljanski Akademiji za glasbo je prejel študentsko Prešernovo nagrado. Študij je zaključil z izvedbo izvirne različice Gershwinove Rhapsody in blue s Simfoniki RTV Slovenija in dirigentom Carlom Davisom.
Od leta 1996 do 2002 je bil ravnatelj Glasbene šole v Zavodu sv. Stanislava, kjer je vodil tudi revijski orkester. Od leta 1996 do 2007 je bil hišni pianist Slovenske kinoteke in je preigral bogat repertoar neme filmske klasike ter številne retrospektive doma in v tujini. Napisal je tudi orkestrski partituri za nema filma Zora (F. W. Murnau, ZDA, 1924 – gre za prvo orkestrsko partituro za celovečerni nemi film pri nas) in V kraljestvu Zlatoroga (J. Ravnik, 1931).
Leta 2002 se je odločil za samostojno kulturno ustvarjanje in se še bolj posvetil skladanju. Komponira in aranžira za zelo različne glasbene sestave in v širokem stilnem loku, od klasične do zabavne in filmske glasbe. Piše tudi glasbo za gledališče.
V letu 2010 je postal zmagovalec Mednarodnega tekmovanja skladateljev »2 Agosto« v Bologni v Italiji, kjer je žirijo vodil italijanski skladatelj Ennio Morricone.


Oksana Pečeny (Kijev, 1983) si je prvo glasbeno znanje pridobila na specialni šoli za nadarjene otroke v rodnem Kijevu ter šolanje nadaljevala na Umetniški gimnaziji v Mariboru v razredu svojega očeta Tarasa Pečenyja, kjer je z odliko diplomirala in maturirala. Študij je nato za 3 semestre nadaljevala v Gradcu, leta 2007 pa z odliko diplomirala na Akademiji za glasbo v Ljubljani v razredu red. prof. Primoža Novšaka. Je večkratna zmagovalka državnih in mednarodnih tekmovanj (Ljubljana, Italija, Nizozemska). Kot solistka je nastopila z vsemi profesionalnimi slovenskimi komornimi in simfoničnimi orkestri, simfoniki iz Zagreba in z Romunskim simfoničnim orkestrom. Leta 2004 je prejela študentsko Prešernovo nagrado za izvedbo violinskega koncerta J. Sibeliusa z orkestrom Slovenske filharmonije. V času študija je 3 leta delovala kot prvi in edini koncertni mojster komornega in simfoničnega orkestra Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani. Kot koncertni mojster je v letih 2006 in 2008 sodelovala tudi z mednarodnim mladinskim orkestrom Animato, leta 2006 pa z orkestrom Tonhalle Zürich kot drugi koncertni mojster.


The film takes us to the distant past, to the Middle East ruled by sultans, caliphs and evil viziers. The evil wizard tricks Prince Achmed into riding a flying horse. Achmed thus embarks on a flight around the world where he meets the beautiful mistress of the Peri Banu island. He falls in love with her immediately and takes her away from the ghost island.
The story is full of wonders, magic creatures and ladies-in-waiting, wizards and ghosts, princes and princesses ... not to mention Aladdin and his magic lamp. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a film of suspense and rich imagination, making the viewers hold their breaths and keep their fingers crossed for their heroes.


German director Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981) spent three years making this silent animated film based on the Arabian Nights legends. It is the oldest surviving animated feature film (two earlier ones were made in Argentina by Quirino Cristiani, but they are considered lost), and it featured a silhouette animation technique Reiniger had invented which involved manipulated cutouts made from cardboard and thin sheets of lead under a camera. The technique she used for the camera is similar to Wayang shadow puppets (though hers were animated frame by frame, not manipulated in live action). The original prints featured colour tinting. The story is based on the elements taken from the collection 1001 Arabian Nights, specifically The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou featured in Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book.

Almost eighty-five years later, this enchanting film still stands as one of the great classics of animation — beautiful, mesmerizing and utterly seductive. This cinematic treasure has been beautifully restored with its spectacular colour tinting and will be performed live with a magnificent new score by Andrej Goričar. Thrilling, sensuous and dazzling, Prince Achmed will enthral children and film enthusiasts of all ages.


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Lotte Reiniger, born in Berlin-Charlottenburg in 1899, is today regarded as the creator of the silhouette film. Thanks to her unique talent she left behind quite a significant body of work comprising more than forty such films. Even as a young child she was intent upon a career in entertainment, but her first desire was to be an actress. It was this ambition that led her to meet Paul Wegener, the film director and star, at the tender age of sixteen. Soon she was studying under the famous theatre director, Max Reinhardt. It was there that she had her first epiphany in working with silhouettes. She would stand in the wings watching the performance, becoming enthralled by the actors’ silhouettes against the limelight. This led her to begin making silhouette portraits of the performers. And before long she developed a keen interest in the art. At the same time, Lotte acquired a skill few animators learned as well even today, the subtle art of body movement to express emotion. Lotte’s introduction to film and filmmaking was by Paul Wegener, as she assisted him in the animation and made title animation on a few of his works. Due to his enthusiasm for her skill at cutting silhouettes he brought her to the Institut fur Kulturforschung, where she began to produce short animated shadow play films. Lotte Reiniger soon met and became intimate with Carl Koch, a noted art historian, who would help Lotte with the more technical ends of her filmmaking. Koch also introduced her to many important figures in the Berlin arts community most notably Bertolt Brecht and Hans Richter. Although not Jewish, Carl Koch and Lotte Reiniger were closely identified with leftist politics and deplored the rise of Nazism. They immediately tried to leave Germany in 1933, but were not able to get emigration visas. Lotte worked on a Pabst film in France in 1933, but had to return to Germany, where she made six more films, between frequent "vacations" to England, Greece and other places in search of asylum. In 1936, Carl and Lotte resolved to leave Germany for good, even if it meant a transient existence, which it did. Jean Renoir employed Carl in Paris, while Lotte found some backing for silhouette films in England. In 1980 Lotte Reiniger settled in Dettenhausen near Tübingen, where she died a year later.

Andrej Goričar was born in Ljubljana in 1971. While studying piano at the Academy of Music, Ljubljana, he received Prešeren student award. He completed his studies by performing the original version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in blue together with RTV Slovenia symphony orchestra conducted by Carl Davis.
In years 1996 –2002, he was the principal of St Stanislav's Institution music school, where he also conducted a light orchestra. In years 1996–2007 he was the resident pianist of the Slovenian Cinematheque, where he performed a wide repertoire of silent classics and many retrospectives at home and abroad. He also wrote scores for the silent films Sunrise (F. W. Murnau, USA, 1924 – the first orchestra score for a silent feature film in Slovenia) and V kraljestvu Zlatoroga (J. Ravnik, 1931).
After 2002 he became a freelance artist with a particular focus on composing. He makes compositions and arrangements for diverse music groups and genres ranging from classical to entertainment and film music. He also composes for the theatre.
In 2010 he was the winner of the International Composing Competition “2 Agosto” in Bologna, Italy, where the jury was headed by Ennio Morricone.


Oksana Pečeny (Kiev, 1983) was first educated in music at a special school for talented children in her local Kiev, then studied at Maribor art secondary school in the class of her father, Taras Pečeny, where she graduated with distinction. She then studied in Graz for three semesters and graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music, Ljubljana, the class of Primož Novšak, full professor. She was the winner at several Slovenian and international competitions (Ljubljana, Italy, the Netherlands). As a soloist, she has performed with all Slovenian professional chamber and symphony orchestras, Zagreb symphony orchestra and the Romanian symphony orchestra. In 2004 she was awarded Prešeren student award for the performance of a Sibelius violin concerto together with the Slovenian symphony orchestra. While studying she spent three years as the first and only concertmaster of chamber and symphony orchestras of the Academy of Music, Ljubljana. She was also the concertmaster of Animato international youth orchestra in 2006 and 2008, and second concertmaster of Tonhalle Zurich orchestra in 2006.