Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the "Golden Age" section, since Jiri Trnka's puppet animated fairy tale feature is a 1949 film.  But since most of us know it from the English language version released in 1951, I decided to go with the Fifties folder.  I'd seen a couple of DVD editions of this over the years (the Winstar version that came out around the time of their "Cartoon Crazys" series, most of which were later regrouped and reissued by GoodTimes, including this title), and then what should be the best of the bunch when Image included it on their PUPPET FILMS OF JIRI TRNKA compilation DVD.  On the Winstar release, the package is mislabeled as THE EMPEROR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, although the film on the disc retains the correct title.  On the Image release, I was suprised to find the original opening credits for the English version on their copy from Rembrandt Films had been replaced with new title cards showing artwork of a nightingale against a plain white background, which don't match the bittersweet feel of the film the way the original credits do.  The original opening credits for the English version (which are intact on the Winstar and GoodTimes discs) start with a close-up of a portrait of Hans Christian Anderson.  The film's title is superimposed over the portrait and fades as the camera pans across the room to show a child's toys (which foreshadow characters in the animated segments) scattered about the bedroom as the rest of the credits appear.  Any ideas why the original English titles were replaced at a later date for this particular edition?  It just seems like such a completely unnecessary move.


Last Edited By: BijouBob8mm Apr 9 12 1:35 PM. Edited 1 time.