Let’s sneak in a quick birthday celebration before the 4th. Franz Kafka was born on this day (July 3), a good 130 years ago. To commemorate the occasion, we’re presenting Piotr Dumala’s 1992 short animated film called, quite simply, Franz Kafka. Dumala’s animation technique grew out of his training as a sculptor, when he started experimenting with scratching images into painted plaster. Later he developed a more full blown method known as “destructive animation,” which is on full display in the film. You can learn more about Dumala and his approach here. The 16-minute film is based on The Diaries of Franz Kafka, and now appears in our collection of 525 Free Movies Online. Also on our site, you can view Dumala’s adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.
Note: This film/post originally appeared on our site in 2010. Still enamored by Dumala’s work, we thought it was time to bring it back.
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Find works by Kafka in our Free eBooks and Free Audio Books collections
In honor of F. Kafka’s 130th birthday I suggest that everyone read the book META-BLEEDIN’-MORPHOSIS, which is Kafka’s legendary tale as told by a guy who may or may not have been Michael Caine in a pub. It is a riot.
130th anniversary of the great writer in the graphics, collages and video http://youtu.be/flXximKQAHg
Metamorphosis Blues:nnI woke up this morningnI’d changed into a giant insect.
They probably never met, Franz Kafka and Jaroslav Hau0161ek, the two writers who both described the Czech reality at the beginning of the 20th century. nnBoth were born in 1883, and they both died young around the age of 40. Prague was their universe, but they moved in entirely different circles and their temperament and sensitivity could not have been more different. The similarity between the two writers consists of them both writing about people finding themselves in an absurd world with laws and regulations, they did not comprehend. The difference lies in the way the writers are letting their main character react to the absurdity. KAFKA AND HAu0160EK http://bit.ly/19b0eWp
Beautiful film, many thanks!