La bergère et le ramoneur (1952)

Director:

Paul Grimault

Writers:

Hans Christian Andersen (fairy tale The Sheperdess and the Chimney Sweep)
Paul Grimault (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 May 1953 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

A chimney sweep and his beloved shepherdess are aided by Wonderbird in their escape from a ruthless dictator |

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Pierre Brasseur	...	L'Oiseau (voice: French version)
Anouk Aimée	...	La bergère (voice: French version)
Serge Reggiani	...	Le ramoneur (voice: French version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Blin	...	(voice)
Claire Bloom	...	Sheperdess (voice: English version)
Etienne Decroux	...	(voice)
Yves Deniaud	...	(voice)
Denholm Elliott	...	(voice: English version)
Fernand Ledoux	...	(voice)
Félix Oudart	...	(voice)
Marcel Pérès	...	(voice)
Maurice Schutz	...	(voice)
Peter Ustinov	...	Wonderbird (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

Adventures of Mr. Wonderful (USA)
The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird (USA)
The Shepherdess and the Chimneysweep (UK)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Clarge Distributors

Trivia:

This film was never completed. Production began it in 1948, but producer André Sarrut showed the film unfinished in 1952, against Paul Grimault's wishes. This caused the production to stop. In 1967, Grimault got possession of the film and was able to complete it under a new title, _Le Roi et l'Oiseau_ (1980).

Quotes:

Sheperdess, Le ramoneur: Mr Bird! Mr Bird!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Jimmy, the Boy Wonder (1966)

Wonderful Film! Available Cheap! Very Cheap!

I just picked this up in a decent if not outstanding DVD version for one dollar at Wal Mart.

Run out and buy it.

I'm fairly sure that this version is the short, incomplete version released against the animator's wishes in the late Fifties, but even so, at a buck it's an *incredible* bargain.

This film was syndicated in small chunks as a serial to local TV stations in the early 60s for the kid's shows that almost every station ran on weekday afternoons in those days - "Mr Bill and Bozo", "Monty's Gang" (Channel 4, Greenville SC) and "Captain Grady" (channel 13, Asheville NC - which is where i saw it). It made such an impression on twelve-or-so-old me that i immediately recognised it when i spotted it in Wal Mart tonight and grabbed it.

Wonderful. You should get it.