Sisyphus (1974)

Best movie ever!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The black-and-white "Sisyphus" is a Hungarian 2-minute animated short film by Marcell Jankovics and it is a contender for his most known as well as most famous work more than 40 years after this came out. It is from 1974. The title already gives away what these 120 seconds are about: a man pushing up a stone in an effort that is as impressive as it proves pointless in the end. Watching this one I was missing the component that the stone is rolling down again at the very end and he has to push it up again. Instead it looks as if Sisyphus keeps pushing one stone after the other as he builds something similar to a pyramid of stones? I am not sure. Anyway, at 2 minutes it was a bearable watch, but nothing great and it proves that 1970s short animation was really not too strong if this one manages an Oscar nomination (lost to Bob Godfrey). The film also lives more though its sound effects than the animation really. I don't recommend the watch.

We in the 21st century are used to seeing flashy animated features. Marcell Jankovics's "Sisyphus" is a welcome surprise. Lasting only two minutes, it features low-key animation to tell the story of a man who must perform the eternal task of pushing a boulder up a mountain. The Eastern Bloc produced a number of plain-looking cartoons that nonetheless managed to tell good stories. After all, good storytelling doesn't require a lot of resources, just talent. There was plenty of that going into them, and this unglamorous production from Hungary deserved its nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards that year. I recommend it.

This short was nominated for an Academy Award. Mild spoilers will be ahead: A simple but very effective and evocative short which is just over two minutes in length and has no dialog unless you consider grunting and strained noises dialog. The sounds coming from whoever is doing the grunting are most realistic. It sounds like someone straining at something to the utmost of their ability. The ending to this doesn't quite match with the myth, but is powerful in any case. For a short verging on 40 years old, this is still a fascinating piece of work.This short is available for viewing online and is well worth watching. Most recommended.

Possibly the best animation I have ever seen!