Yuri Norstein: The Tale of Tales, Hedgehog in the Fog, The Heron & The Crane, The Battle of Kerzhenets (1971-1979) (Blu-ray)

Yuri Norstein: The Tale of Tales, Hedgehog in the Fog, The Heron & The Crane, The Battle of Kerzhenets

THE BATTLE OF KERZHENETS (SECHA PRI KERZHENTSE) - 1971, 10 min., co-dir. Ivan Ivanov-Vano. Arguably Norstein's first great animated film, inspired by the legend of the City of Kitezh which disappeared into a lake to avoid Mongol invaders.

THE HERON & THE CRANE (TSAPLYA I ZHURAVL) - 1974, 10 min. An awkward crane and a high-spirited heron go back and forth on marrying each other, in this heartbreaking short about romantic misunderstandings.

HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG (YOZHIK V TUMANE) – 1975, 11 min. The deceptively epic journey of the tiny hedgehog, filled with impossible marvels and dangers: a shimmering white horse and a crafty owl. A fluttering bat, a falling leaf and the ever-present curtain of fog. Widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever made.

THE TALE OF TALES (SKAZKA SKAZOK) – 1979, 29 min. Norstein's longest film to date, TALE is a story about stories, a dream of many dreams. A giant bull and a little girl skip rope. Couples dance under a streetlight until the male partners disappear, headed off to war. And through it all, the Little Gray Wolf watches silently at the rondo of human loves and losses.