The Sea Horse

Erik Villasenor

a fantastic and visually stunning "avant garde" short film. Painleve is always great and this is probably my second favorite film from him.

Stefan Drees

One of Painlevé's most intriguing documentaries, containing a finde score by French composer Darius Milhaud.

Tibulle85

Peut-être moins emballant que les premiers courts du réalisateur (le côté "documentaire en aquarium" est ici plus voyant que jamais), mais l'animal est (bien entendu) superbe et les commentaires "à l'ancienne", pleins de malice, parviennent encore à arracher des sourires aujourd'hui. 3.5/5

Marco Bevilacqua

I can see, how in cinema, technology can work very well with the creativity skills of humans. The director uses all the technical solutions to create astonishing imagines. For him, technology is a tool. This can introduce us into our environment, and even to the origin of our existence. The birth of a sea horse is like the birth of all the living organisms. All in this short movie is perfect, cohesive and tasteful.

BUSTER TIERNEY

Encore un émerveillement... Des choix musicaux qui débutent avec du médiéval pour ce personnage proche du chevalier, aux commentaires faisant sans cesse référence à des descriptions humaines... nous baignons dans un univers rendu étrange et familier... Comme si un panda finissait par apprécier Greed...

Crina Cătălina Bucur

It was devilishly rewarding to see a male go through labor and childbirth, for a change. Jokes aside, this is a solid short documentary with an amazingly high level of anatomical detail that I wouldn't have expected from such an early work.

Ludovic72

Un compte-rendu superbement détaillé d'un animal hors-norme : poisson vertical à l'allure antique et majestueuse, aux modalités de reproduction étonnantes (joli partage des rôles du mâle et de la femelle !), le cheval marin a bien des atouts pour faire rêver. Jean Painlevé le suit avec tendresse et technicité, en nous offrant des images très précises et informatives. Il n'y manque que les couleurs...

Paul and Wade

'The Sea Horse' is perhaps the strongest of Painleveé's entire archive of science films. The remarkable cinematic details of the entire birthing process - from the female laying the eggs in the male's pouch to the male giving birth to the embryos over a period of hours is clearly and comprehensively set out in several remarkable sequences. Simply descriptive & unfettered with frivolous anthropomorphic commentary.