Twelve o’clock strikes and the titular ‘Changing of the Guard’ takes place before the eyes of the princess, who watches everything from a castle window.
In close ranks, serving under a commander covered with badges, a troop of unusual soldiers made from matchboxes marches and displays their weapons. This material was also used to create the commander-in-charge and the princess, with red lips painted on the matchbox. During an impressive military parade, which makes perfect use of the material, affection develops between the princess and one of the soldiers.
Her lips turn into a pulsating heart; he sneaks out of the barracks at night to sigh under her window. The princess, who comes down to see the soldier, ignites a flame in him that consumes not only the lovers but also all the kingdom’s inhabitants. All that remains are burnt paper decorations. Soon, however, other, less fairy-tale but much more contemporary characters appear. The main rule of the new community is a slogan posted in several languages on a large board, accompanied by a huge exclamation mark: ‘Smoking prohibited!’
Such an ending of The Changing of the Guard – departing from fairy-tale conventions, or rather putting them in a humorous bracket – is a kind of wink to the viewer and enriches the interpretation of the animated masterpiece. It is not only a story about powerful emotions, the heat of which causes a destructive fire, but also a story that can be read in a broader, social dimension. Modern society – looking at the burnt-out remains of its past – tries to establish rational rules of functioning. In this context, the title of the film takes on a new meaning. After all, it does not only mean the replacement of soldiers on guard duty but also, in a metaphorical sense, a change of generations.
Music and sound effects, accompanying the movements of the perfectly animated matchboxes, play an important role in the film.
In this superbly realised work by two directors, content and form interact perfectly, complementing each other and creating an enchanting animated gem.
- The Changing of the Guard, Poland 1958; written and directed by: Halina Bielińska and Włodzimierz Haupe; set design: Halina Bielińska; music: Zbigniew Turski; cinematography: Aleksander Lipowski; director of photography: Waldemar Wojtczak; production: Studio of Film Miniatures in Warsaw. Running time: 8 minutes.
Awards:
- First Prize in the short film category for an original idea, International Film Festival, Cannes 1959;
- Special Mention, International Film Festival, Mannheim 1959;
- Diploma of Honour, Roy Thompson Award, International Film Festival, Edinburgh 1959.
Originally written in Polish by Iwona Hałgas, March 2011, translated into English by PG, May 2021.