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The Periwig-Maker

  • 19991999
  • 15m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
591
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
The Periwig-Maker (1999)
  • Animation
  • Short
  • Drama
Europe; the plague years. A wigmaker, locked in his shop, observes the events and writes about them in his journal. Mostly, we see shrouded bodies, and a young girl who lives in the tavern a... Read allEurope; the plague years. A wigmaker, locked in his shop, observes the events and writes about them in his journal. Mostly, we see shrouded bodies, and a young girl who lives in the tavern across the way that gets progressively sicker. When she dies, the wigmaker goes to the mass... Read allEurope; the plague years. A wigmaker, locked in his shop, observes the events and writes about them in his journal. Mostly, we see shrouded bodies, and a young girl who lives in the tavern across the way that gets progressively sicker. When she dies, the wigmaker goes to the mass grave where she's buried and cuts off her luxurious red hair; he makes himself a wig from... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
591
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Steffen Schäffler
  • Writers
    • Annette Schäffler
    • Steffen Schäffler
    • Daniel Defoe(book "A Journal of the Plague Year")
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Branagh(voice)
    • Alice Fairhall(voice)
    • Roger Law(voice)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steffen Schäffler
  • Writers
    • Annette Schäffler
    • Steffen Schäffler
    • Daniel Defoe(book "A Journal of the Plague Year")
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Branagh(voice)
    • Alice Fairhall(voice)
    • Roger Law(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 17 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos

    Kenneth Branagh in The Periwig-Maker (1999)
    The Periwig-Maker (1999)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Kenneth Branagh
    Kenneth Branagh
    • Periwig-makeras Periwig-maker
    • (voice)
    Alice Fairhall
    • Additional Voicesas Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Roger Law
    • Additional Voicesas Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    Daren C. Evans
    • Additional Voicesas Additional Voices
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Steffen Schäffler
    • Writers
      • Annette Schäffler
      • Steffen Schäffler
      • Daniel Defoe(book "A Journal of the Plague Year")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Europe; the plague years. A wigmaker, locked in his shop, observes the events and writes about them in his journal. Mostly, we see shrouded bodies, and a young girl who lives in the tavern across the way that gets progressively sicker. When she dies, the wigmaker goes to the mass grave where she's buried and cuts off her luxurious red hair; he makes himself a wig from it, and soon dies. —Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>
    • stop motion animation
    • plague
    • writer
    • vision
    • orphan
    • 10 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Animation
      • Short
      • Drama
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Periwig-maker: So in the plague it came to such violence that the people sat still looking at one another, and seemed quite abandoned to despair. But the near-view of death would soon reconcile men, one to another, so that another plague year would reconcile all differences. A close conversing with death would scum off the gall from our tempers, remove the animosities among us, and bring us to see with different eyes than those with which we looked on things before.

    • Crazy credits
      And it is a wonder what will be the fashion after the plague is done as to periwigs, for nobody will dare to buy any haire for fear of the infection - that it had been cut off of the heads of people dead of the plague. Samuel Pepys, 3.9.1665
    • Connections
      Edited into Short6 (2001)

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    dark
    The oscar nominated short stop-motion film depicts a wig maker (voice of Kenneth Branagh) in Plague-era Europe. While suitably dark and featuring Kenneth's best acting since at least the late-eighties, still has the air of pomposity that may be off-putting to some. Furthermore I didn't particulerly care for the ending. Still the stop-motion animation is pain-stakingly conceived & the attention to detail is beyond reproach. I can't help but think back to the marionette play that John Cusack put on in the beginning of "Being John Malkovich". Which is a roundabout why to say this is artsy stuff and not for kids.

    My Short Grade: B-

    Where i saw it: Atom Films
    helpful•2
    2
    • movieman_kev
    • May 1, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 13, 1999 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Мастер париков
    • Filming locations
      • Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Ideal Standard Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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