Stravinsky’s legendary fable comes alive in this Emmy-winning animated program. When the common man is faced with the devil’s temptation, can he make a deal with the devil and win? The soldier in this tale believes so, and tragically spends his life learning otherwise in this legendary fable. Igor Stravinsky’s masterpiece, an adaptation of a story told by a popular Russian folklorist of that era, was penned in 1918 as a commentary tainted by the climate in Russia at the time of the Revolution. In 1980, illustrator R.O. Blechman signed on to collaborate with PBS’ Great Performances series to adapt the composition to celebrate the centennial of Stravinsky’s birth. This program went on to win the Emmy Award that year for Outstanding Individual Achievement, Animated Programming and is still celebrated as a visionary triumph.

For thoughts on The Soldier’s Tale, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/-wxlFGYzfB8?si=wRyhonKqJS_0azKL&t=3822]

Video Quality

The Soldier’s Tale debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a 2K restoration of the filmmaker’s personal 35mm print. While the source limitations do not allow this effort to look as jaw-dropping as anything Deaf Crocodile has been doing in the animation space, we are thrilled to see Kino Classics release more in animation. With this being from a print instead of the Original Camera Negative, we can only imagine how poorly things looked before the restoration. There is a consistent sheen of light nicks and scratches throughout, but there is no doubt this has been given quite a bit of care, and we are grateful that every single creative choice within the animation is left intact with no unsightly digital manipulation to ruin the natural look.

The unique character designs and every distinct line and mark of the animation are preserved in this newest release. The textures of the environments look naturally filmic and give the fantastical tale the appropriate amount of depth. The animation that is in color is capably saturated while maintaining crisp delineation free of bleeding. Black levels are decent with no serious issue of banding or compression issues. This Blu-Ray allows this film to look the best it can under the circumstances of the restoration.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that holds up even better than the video quality. Music plays a significant part in the effectiveness of the narrative and each piece sets an appropriate tone with strong fidelity. This is not a dialogue-heavy film, but it holds up well when it is spoken. Every sonic element sounds strong with no clipping or age-related wear and tear. Audiences should be more than pleased with the sound quality of the track. There are English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director R.O. Blechman, animator Tissa David, and associate producer George Griffin provide an enlightening commentary track recorded in 2004 as they recall the production, the animation process, the inspirations for various shots, and more that allows you to gain more from the feature. There is a brief segment at the beginning where disc producer Bret Wood interjects to discuss why there is no commentary over two portions of the film.

No Room At The Inn (1977, R.O. Blechman): A 14-minute film from Blechman that provides a dryly amusing take on the nativity story with the inventive animation you expect from the creative.

The Hand Of R.O. Blechman: A nearly 18-minute collection of shorts and commercials from the creative is provided that should not be passed up.

Re-Release Trailer: The 44-second trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Soldier’s Tale is a brief but effective gem of animation that packs a lot of emotion into a short amount of time. We love animation that does not keep a strict adherence to reality, and the ways in which this effort takes advantage of the art form are very rewarding. R.O. Blechman and his team are worthy of a greater place in the history of animation. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a nice A/V presentation and a couple of cool special features. If you are a fan of creative animation outside of the mainstream, you should seek this out. Recommended

The Soldier’s Tale is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.