The Hoffnung Palm Court Orchestra (1965)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Harold Whitaker

Writers:

John Halas (writer)
Gerard Hoffnung (cartoons)

Genre:

Animation | Short

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Also Known As:

The Symphony Orchestra (UK) (TV title)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

You Can't Keep A Good Combo Down

This is a very creative story of a violinist, pianist and cellist as they perform from place-to-place, under very unusual conditions. Every time they play, they remind someone of a lost love, so they are hired immediately hired by nightclub owners, ship captains and even a pirate....wherever circumstances take them.

First they are in a hotel-castle-like place which catches fire. They are saved as a group, with the water freezing over them and the stage. Then they dumped near a big ocean liner, thaw out and begin playing. The captain of the boat hears them, thinks fondly of some old girlfriend and drops a big net and swoops them all up...and once again, they have an audience. However, the boat hits an iceberg and sinks, and the musicians and stage continue on, floating in the ocean. Strange?? Yeah!

It gets even more strange as it goes on with islands, pirates and more but things comes full circle by the end. This, obviously, is a very bizarre animated short. The drawings have that 1960s Pink Panther look to them without all the wild colors.

There were other Huffnung Symphony cartoons made by the BBC which also are good, but they aren't listed here at IMDb.