The Fisherman and His Wife

Duration: 600

Year Published: 1960

Creator: Weston Woods

Complete Record: There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a bare and miserable hut by the sea. On day, as he was fishing, he hooked a huge fish. It spoke to him, saying that it was really a prince under a spell; so he threw it back into the water. Later the fisherman related this to his wife, but she insisted that he go straight back to the sea to ask the fish to grant them a wish. The naïveté in this traditional tale of a poor husband, his greedy wife and the magic fish that changes their lives and teacher the wife a lesson about wishing is captured with unusual design and direction by Gisela Frisen and Per Ekholm. Their striking effects were achieved by filming hand-manipulated puppets in silhouette against transparent backgrounds taken from old copperplate engravings and architectural drawings. A rich narrative, sound effects and a dramatic musical score by Leo Rosenbluth give added dimension to the film and a sparing use of color accentuates the story’s austere beauty.