The King and the Mockingbird : A fairy tale movie about totalitarianism

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The King and the Mockingbird (original title "Le Roi et l'Oiseau) is a French animated movie directed by Paul Grimault in 1980. It is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The shepherdess and the chimney sweep" and was written in collaboration with the French poet and screenwriter, Jacques Prévert. The movie is today considered a masterpiece and was apparently an influence of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, founders of Studio Ghibli. It is widly available in English (dubbed) since 2014 so don't hesitate to check it out if this post piqued your curiosity.

The story depicts the fictional kingdom of Takicardia ruled by the king Charles V + III = VIII + VIII = XVI, wherein a shepherdess and a chimney sweep, helped by a mockingbird, try to find a way to freedom driven by their youthful curiosity and love. This kingdom (and the king) represents an archetype of past pathocratic rulings such as the monarchies by divine right of France, Nazi Germany or communists regimes.

Many mechanisms of such regimes are shown throughout the movie : disposing of anyone remotely against/disrespecting the king, propaganda (taking many forms), creation of a pseudo-reality, pathocratic ruling portrayed as a self-fulling prophecy since things "always have been that way in recorded history" it'll thus always be that way, forced labour/slavery, state police, the rule of secrecy, mass denunciation/witch hunts, their greatest weapons of destruction will inevitably be the tools of their own undoing...

In essence, it is an allegorical tale about compassion, discovery and freedom. The mockingbird plays the role of a paragon, where his wisdom comes from his traveling around the world and his past hardships/suffering. He uses derision and cunningness as his main tools to help the young shepherdess and chimney sweep escaping the grasp of the evil king. The movie takes a "show don't tell" approach, where gestures/faces, music and sound effects are often used as a way to convey context and meaning. The composer, Wojciech Kilar, and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Stanislaw Wislocki really did a wonderful work on this OST.

On that note the movie is jam-packed with references and is a joy to rewatch in order to discover more each time around. It was one of my favorite movies as a child and it literally grew up with me over the years. I was first hooked by the mysteries of the world depicted, the musics and of course the robot. As I grew up I came gradually to understand the underlying message and references which constitutes its true essence. It is truly a timeless movie suitable for young and old.

You'll find below the main musical theme of the movie, "enchanting" would be the word to describe it.

 
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