The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed, 1926)

Directed by: Lotte Reininger
Duration: 81’
Live music by Larry Gus with Jay Glass Dubs

The wicked sorcerer Banu tricks Prince Achmed into sending him off to a dangerous mission. Achmed will find himself and his flying horse at a faraway island inhabited by demons. There he will be forced to battle dragons and spirits in order to save the beautiful Princess Peri Banu. Having Aladdin and his magic lamp as an ally, he will come back to revenge the devious sorcerer. 

Based on stories from «The Arabian Nights», pioneer Lotte Reininger’s movie also signifies an emblematic, special moment in the art of film, since «The Adventures of Prince Achmed» is considered the first animation feature in the history of cinema. Imaginative, stylish and inspiring, the film that made Jean Renoir state that «… Reininger was born with magic hands», draws on the ancient tradition of the Shadow Theatre and describes through the grace of its animated figures a story about the eternal struggle between good and bad. For more than 80 years the charming «Adventures of Prince Achmed» constitutes a delicate model of technique and fantasy and one of the greatest animations ever made.

Panos Gkenas