This movie is being released by Olive Films (www.olivefilms.com – www.facebook.com/olivefilms) on April 24th, 2017.
It’s difficult to be absolutely certain, but with the exception of 1954’s Animal Farm, I can’t think of another feature-length animated film for adults that came before Walerian Borowczyk’s Theatre of Mr. & Mrs. Kabal (1967) aka Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre. And boy, is it a surreal one. Sure, it has been largely forgotten and frankly is an acquired taste, but the movie is a significant work in the history of animation. Thankfully, Olive Films is delivering the title on Blu-ray with a clean and remarkably sharp transfer.
If you’ve read this site’s article on the Walerian Borowczyk: Short Films, you’ll know that this artist made some impressive little movies during his early days in France. Based on one of his animated shorts, this is the director’s first feature film and while it is relatively simple as far as animation style (using both cut-out and drawn characters), it is experimental in the extreme. Perhaps knowing that this was a relatively new genre, Borowczyk seems to take a playful approach, trying out different techniques with audiences. Some are funnier than others, but it’s an interesting, if bizarre, little effort.
Mr. and Mrs. Kabal are a very abnormal-looking married couple. Mrs. Kabal is tall, bossy and mechanized, almost like a robot. Her husband, Mr. Kabal, is very short, round and appears to be constantly told what to do by his spouse. The movie shows a series of sketches that feature the characters spending a day at the beach, dealing with some unwanted insects, making a meal, watching TV and even throwing a little party. It all sounds fairly mundane (and it is), but you’ve never seen it presented quite like this.
The director uses extremely simple animation. It is largely in black and white with a few color elements added here and there, most notably on butterflies and strange animals like their pet lizard-dog. However, there are some new and interesting experiments. It opens with the filmmaker himself conversing with his animated creation – which result in some of the most effective bits of humor. Additionally, live-action shots are included. There’s a running gag with the henpecked Mr. Kabal constantly looking through his binoculars at live-action footage of models (as well an old man who appears to be having a much better time than the protagonist).
Things get even stranger when he’s forced to help retrieve a lost butterfly out of his wife’s insides. It involves taking off her head, shrinking himself and searching through a strangely mechanized and cold-looking interior with stairs, passages and rivers. This is a lengthy bit, visually unique and weird in the extreme. In fact, there are plenty of moments in which the characters are taken apart rather bluntly and then put back together.
The suggestion appears to be that Borowczyk is poking fun at the trials of marriage. It’s a bit glum in some respects, but the oddness of it all is quite compelling. Mr. Kabal isn’t always treated well, but he also appears ready to help his domineering wife whenever she asks, even if he occasionally wishes he were somewhere else. A final bit involving a party also paints a not-so-wonderful look at married life. As more and more guests arrive, they all have an identical appearance to Mr. and Mrs. Kabal. This also results in a couple of chuckles.
The pacing is a bit slow by today’s standards and sense of humor is very peculiar, but it is a fascinatingly strange experience that is unlike any other. And one can argue that while unsuccessful upon its original release, this feature would eventually help to open the floodgates for other filmmakers.
In the 70s, animated features for adult audiences would begin to appear regularly, with titles like Fritz the Cat (1972), Fantastic Planet (1973), Belladonna of Sadness (1973) and Watership Down (1978) among many others. However, Theatre of Mr. & Mrs. Kabal remains one of the earliest examples of the form and ultimately led the way for artists like Ralph Bakshi and other studios. Those with an interest in the history of animation might want to check it out.