Wladislaw Starevitch began working with motion pictures while at the Museum of Natural History at Korvo, Russia. Starevitch was attempting to document insect life with motion pictures, and he began experimenting with animation when stag beetles he was trying to film became lethargic under the heat of the bright movie lights. Starevitch constructed realistic models of stag beetles, and recreated their actions through stop-motion animation. In doing so, Starevitch discovered the possibilities of puppet animation.
Starevitch's stop-motion insects soon became actors in humorous little social satires often based on Aesop's fables, where they were joined by ants, frogs, birds, and other animated creatures. Although this sort of animation ultimately became synonymous with children's films, Starevitch's early animated films were aimed directly at an adult audience. His "Revenge of the Movie Cameraman" (1912), for instance, is a bedroom farce dealing with the marital sqabbles between two adulterous beetles. Starevitch's film "The Mascot" contains some of the darkest, most disturbing, imagery ever created for the cinema, and is practically guaranteed to unsettle the dreams of any viewer, regardless of their age. Starevitch is perhaps the only animator of his generation who surpassed the nightmarish qualities of the darkest elements found in the early cartoon features from the Walt Disney Studios.
Starevitch directed live action films as wells as animation, and many of his best animated films incorporated live action footage through editing and projection techniques. Starevitch's daughter, Nina, was featured in some of these films.
The influence of Ladislas Starevitch can be seen in the sort of visually disturbing films of contemporary animators such as like the Brothers Quay, and films like Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.
Born Wladyslaw Starewicz, Vilnus, Poland, August 6, 1892; died 1965.
some links:
kabinet.org
urbanephemera.com
cinematexas.org
awn.co
imdb.com
heeza.fr
The cameraman´s revenge (1912)
(Miest kinooperatora)
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Short / Animation
Plot Summary: A jilted husband takes his revenge by filming his wife and her lover and showing the result at the local cinema. This was one of Starewicz' first animated films, and stars very realistic animated beetles.
Also Known As:
Cameraman's Revenge, The (1912)
Revenge of a Kinematograph Cameraman, The (1912) (USA)
Runtime: USA:12 min
Country: Russia
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Silent
Ladislaw.Starewicz.-.The.cameraman´s.revenge.(1912).avi 
The Insects' Christmas (1913)
Rozhdestvo obitatelei lesa
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Animation / Short
User Comments: Father Christmas steps out.
The stop-motion camera shows a close-up of ornaments on the branches of a Christmas tree, amongst which is a Father Christmas who climbs down from his perch and in so doing dislodges a glass globe, which falls to the floor and breaks. A dolly among the gifts below awakes, looks about her and sees Father Christmas setting off for the forest.
Outside in the snowy night landscape, he waves his staff and "grows" a tree, then magically adds ornaments, all the while his greatcoat is lifted by the breeze. Now he goes to invite all the little insects in the forest to his Christmas celebrations.
Each of these creatures is a delicate, lifelike, mobile replica. The ladybug hears him out, then stands on her hind or third pair of legs and goes off. Beetles turn somersaults at the news as they go. The pond is frozen, but a frog jumps up through the ice and very elegantly greets Father Christmas, giving him a Russian hug.
They all ski or sled down to the pond, where they go skating. A very large Christmas cracker is popped, which sends two of them tumbling.
Next morning, Father Christmas returns to the house and climbs back up to his place on the Christmas tree.
Also Known As:
Insects' Christmas, The (1913) (USA)
Runtime: 7 min
Country: Russia
Color: Black and White (tinted)
Sound Mix: Silent
Ladislaw.Starewicz.-.The.insects´.Christmas.(1913).avi The Frogs Who Wanted a King (1923)
Les Grenouilles qui demandent un roi
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Animation / Comedy / Drama / Short
Plot Summary: The frogs have a democracy, but they beseech Jupiter to send them a king. Jupiter can hardly believe this amphibian foolishness, so he sends them a tree as king. The frogs make obeisance to their new monarch, but they are dissatisfied and petition Jupiter again. Now he sends a proper king with a crown, a stork. Frog ladies and gents turn out to see the new sovereign and bring tribute. The stork starts to eat the frogs. They beg Jupiter for help. Jupiter hurls down lightning bolts, while the king continues to eat his subjects. "Moral: Let well enough alone."
Also Known As:
Frogland (1923)
Frogs Who Wanted a King, The (1923) (USA)
Country: France
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Silent
Ladislaw.Starewicz.-.The.frogs.who.wanted.a.king.(1922).avi 
Voice.of.the.nightingale.(1923)La Voix du rossignol
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Short
Plot Summary: A partly-animated short film, a fairy-tale-like telling of why the nightingale only sings at night. A young girl who has caught a nightingale dreams about the nightingale and its mate, and comes to realize that birds are not made to be captive but free. In return for its freedom, the nightingale loans the child its voice for use in the daytime, which is why nightingales only sing at night.
Also Known As:
Nightingale's Voice, The (1923) (Europe: English title) (literal title)
Voice of the Nightingale (1923) (Europe: English title) (literal title)
Country: France
Color: Black and White / Color (Prizma Color)
Sound Mix: Silent
Ladislaw.Starewicz.-.Voice.of.the.nightingale.(1923).avi 
The Town Rat and the Country Rat
Le Rat de ville et le rat des champs
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Plot Summary: The Country Rat visits his friend, the Town Rat, but finds that life in the great metropolis is rather too hectic (and dangerous - there's a live cat among all the puppet rats!)
Also Known As:
Town Rat and the Country Rat, The (1927) (USA)
Country: France
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Silent
Ladislaw.Starewicz.-.Le.Rat.des.villes.et.le.Rat.des.champs.(1926).avi 
The Story of the Fox (1930)
Le Roman de Renard
Directed by
Irene Starewicz
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (story)
Jean Nohain
Genre: Animation
Plot Summary: In the kingdom of animals, Master Fox is used to trick and fool everyone. So the King, the Lion, receives more and more complaints about him. He orders that Master Fox is arrested and brough to him... One of the first animation film with puppets. The story is taken from a from a French medieval fable.
Complete credited cast:
Claude Dauphin .... Monkey (voice)
Romain Bouquet .... Fox (voice)
Laine .... Lion (voice)
Sylvain Itkine .... Wolf (voice)
Léon Larive .... Bear (voice)
Robert Seller .... Cock (voice)
Eddy Debray .... Badger (voice) (as Debray)
Nicolas Amato .... Cat (voice)
Pons .... Donkey (voice)
Sylvia Bataille .... Rabbit (voice)
Suzy Dornac .... Fox Cub (voice)
Jaime Plama .... Cat (singing) (voice)
(more)
Also Known As:
Story of the Fox, The (1930) (USA)
Tale of the Fox, The (1930)
Runtime: 65 min
Country: France
Language: French
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono
Ladislaw.Starewicz.Le.Roman.de.Renard.1930.DVDrip.XviD-Tir.avi 
The Mascot (1934)
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Animation / Short
User Comments: A brilliant animated piece that was far ahead of its time, and certainly far ahead of anything that was being released in mass production at the same point in history. The influence of this work upon Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" is readily apparent. One can only imagine how Starewicz slaved over every beautifully detailed frame of this masterpiece.
There have been very few animated films of this caliber. It's a shame that more people haven't seen this gem.
Also Known As:
Devil's Ball, The (1934)
Mascot, The (1934) (USA)
Stuffy's Errand of Mercy (1934) (USA) (short version)
Country: France
Language: French
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Silent
1933.Wladyslaw.Starewicz.-.Fetiche.Mascot.avi Fetiche en voyage de noce (1936)
[broken link]
Ladislaw.Starewicz.Fetiche.en.voyage.de.noce.1936.DVDrip.XviD-Tir.avi [avaible fragments]
Ladislas.Starewicz.-.The.Devil's.Ball.(excerpt.from.The.Mascot).mpg Starewicz.-.1933.-.The.Devil's.Ball.(An.exerpt.from.The.Mascot).mpg 
Winter Carousel (1958)
Directed by
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Writing credits
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Genre: Short
Also Known As:
Winter Carousel (1958) (Europe: English title) (literal title) (USA)
Runtime: 11 min
Country: France
Color: Color
Winter.carousel.(Wladyslaw.Starewicz.1958).avi 
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