The Cowboy's Flute
| The Cowboy's Flute | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Te Wei, Qian Jiajun |
Release dates | 1963 |
Running time | 20 mins |
| Country | China |
| Language | none |
The Cowboy's Flute (Chinese: 牧笛, Mu Di) is a Chinese animated short film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio under the master animator Te Wei. It is also referred to as The Cowboy's Flute, The Cowherd's Flute, The Buffalo Boy and his Flute.
Background
The film does not contain any dialogues, allowing it to be watched by any culture. The animation is essentially Chinese painting in motion,[1] with a heavy emphasis on the flute melody.
Story
The story is about a relationship between a young cow herding boy with an extraordinary flute playing ability. He is accompanied by his faithful water buffalo, and falls asleep in a tree. Soon he is dreaming that he has lost his buffalo. The dream sequence is delightfully whimsical, beginning with falling leaves that turn into butterflies and gradually lead the cow herder to a beautiful mist-filled valley. Here the buffalo refuses to budge from his hiding spot, leaving the cow herder to find an alternate musical solution to his problem.
DVD
The DVD has been re-released under the Chinese Classic Animation Te Wei Collection set.
Awards
More than a decade later, the film would win an award at the Odense International Film Festival in 1979.