The Ringmaster (1934)
aja Fetiche prestidigitateur
Article 5824 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 8-3-2020
Directed by Wladyslaw Starewicz
Voice cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Puppet animation

While his owner sleeps, a puppet dog stages a circus with his toy friends and the help of a magic hat.

Fetiche the puppet dog was the main character in Starewicz’s classic, THE MASCOT. The character was apparently popular enough that he made several shorts featuring him. This one isn’t anywhere near the inspired epic weirdness of the earlier film, but it has its whimsical charm nonetheless. Fetiche has to step in and take the place of a female acrobat and a male lion tamer, who, being paper dolls, were two lightweight for their given tasks. As usual, Starewicz’s puppet animation is a joy to see, and there are some fun moments, but this is one of the more minor works in his oeuvre.