Using Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Masque of the Red Death' as its parent text, the short film presents the viewer with a visual representation of the thematic concerns that Poe engaged with through his words. The narrative endeavours an animation style to bring the story to life on screen in a manner that is unique and demands viewer's meticulousness.
As Prince Prospero confines himself to his castle with his healthy noblemen, the gates are shut to the outside world which battles a plague called the Red Death. It is finally on the fateful night of a masquerade when the crux of both the film as well as the short story arrives.
The Prince finds himself face to face with the most unusual guest, and it is primarily this meeting that would carry with it the overarching message about the inexorable nature of time, the inevitability of death and the great leveller it has always proved to be, irrespective of the life its victims may have lead previously. Backed by a significant voiceover, the film is also marked by a constant ticking of a clock which, along with matching the pace of the story, also acts as a reminder of the eternal, forward motion of time. The story also gains more relevance in contemporary times where while a pandemic rages on in the world, the wealthy and privileged may have closed their eyes to its true consequences and chosen to instead collect behind closed doors for merry-making and recreation.
Read LessAs Prince Prospero confines himself to his castle with his healthy noblemen, the gates are shut to the outside world which battles a plague called the Red Death. It is finally on the fateful night of a masquerade when the crux of both the film as well as the short story arrives.
The Prince finds himself face to face with the most unusual guest, and it is primarily this meeting that would carry with it the overarching message about the inexorable nature of time, the inevitability of death and the great leveller it has always proved to be, irrespective of the life its victims may have lead previously. Backed by a significant voiceover, the film is also marked by a constant ticking of a clock which, along with matching the pace of the story, also acts as a reminder of the eternal, forward motion of time. The story also gains more relevance in contemporary times where while a pandemic rages on in the world, the wealthy and privileged may have closed their eyes to its true consequences and chosen to instead collect behind closed doors for merry-making and recreation.
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