The Man with No Shadow

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FrenchL'Homme sans ombre
Written byGeorges Schwizgebel
The Man with No Shadow
FrenchL'Homme sans ombre
Directed byGeorges Schwizgebel
Written byGeorges Schwizgebel
Based onPeter Schlemihl by Adelbert von Chamisso
Produced byGeorges Schwizgebel
Music byJudith Gruber-Stitzer
Production
companies
National Film Board of Canada
Studio GDS
RTS Radio Télévision Suisse
Release date
  • May 2004 (2004-05)
Running time
10 minutes
CountriesCanada
Switzerland
LanguageNo dialogue

The Man with No Shadow (French: L'Homme sans ombre) is a 2004 Canadian-Swiss animated short film written and directed by Georges Schwizgebel, based on Adelbert von Chamisso’s novella Peter Schlemihl. Told without dialogue, it follows a man who exchanges his shadow for wealth. The film won awards including the Prix Regards jeunes at Cannes Critics' Week and the Award for Outstanding Quality at the World Festival of Animated Films Zagreb, and was screened at festivals including Cannes, Locarno, Hiroshima and Vancouver.[1][2]

After making a pact with a magician, a man gives up his shadow in return for wealth. He soon learns that life without a shadow sets him apart, and after wandering far from home, he reaches Bali, where he comes to understand the value of shadows.[3]

Background

Adapted from Adelbert von Chamisso’s 1814 novella Peter Schlemihl, L'homme sans ombre is a Swiss-Canadian co-production made without dialogue using drawing on paper animation.[1][3]

Reception

Awards and nominations

The film won awards including the Prix Regards jeunes at Cannes Critics' Week, the Award for Outstanding Quality at the World Festival of Animated Films Zagreb, and the Prix Kodak du meilleur court métrage suisse at the Geneva International Film Festival in 2004.[1] It was nominated for Best Animated Short at the 25th Genie Awards in 2005.[4]

Critical response

The San Francisco Chronicle described the film as “an aching contemplation of isolation and longing”.[5]

Festival screenings

References

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