Sensual, but somehow underdrawn. The boldest Soyuzmultfilm project of at least the 1980s. After a trial and not quite successful cartoon "Hercules at Admet" we still saw the adaptation of Greek myths, which is not shy to show us naked nature. It sounds great, but...
The most beautiful thing about this movie is the last few seconds. It is on them, apparently, wasted the main efforts of the artists. Everything else here looks unfinished, unpainted, and in some places even underdrawn. Surely everyone has seen at least once how the resort is photographed, sticking their heads into special walls with drawings. This is what Zeus’ close-up looks like in this movie. It seems that the neck, hair and background do not move at all, and only the face lives in the frame. With other characters, the situation is even worse: only their jaws move, while the upper part of the face looks like a statue and is separated from the “living” zone by a fault line. From time to time we are shown pictures in which no one moves. I can only assume that artists were on strike because of low wages.
But “The Birth of Erot” is sincerely pleased that for the first time in many, many years Russian works began to show candid scenes. Three graces, which we are accustomed to see only as statues, come to life and in motion captivate us with their beauty even more. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is also magnificent, even when we are shown childbirth. If all the shots were painted as well as the latest, the cartoon would be a real masterpiece. It looks like an unfinished student project.
Many viewers will understand the main idea: the love that Eros sends us, playing, is burning and often destructive, because it deprives us of reason. The wise gods understood this and did their best to save themselves from such suffering. But would Aphrodite allow such a thing? What we see here is the most insidious, but at the same time instructive revenge. And the cartoon is good not only as a myth adaptation, but also as a parable. It would be nice if the artists brought their work to the end.
6 out of 10