F. A. Q.

Don't hesitate to ask us any question about Ladislas Starevitch and his films !

Question :

Could you please tell me how Mr. Starewitch created the faces of his characters? In watching his films, I was quite mesmerized by the emotion conveyed through the faces of his puppets. The movement was very fluid and realistic, especially on the dog in the Mascot. Thank you for your time and please write back with any information you can provide. Thank You,

Eric Sheslow.

Answer :

Sorry for this delay and thanks for your interest in my Grand'father's work. The emotion conveyed through the faces of the puppets is due to
1- their making:
WET chamois-leather was stuck on the wooden structure of the puppet,
as it got dry this chamois-leather shrank and totally fitted in with the
structure:
2- Starewitch's genius.
He used dentist's tongs to modify -frame by frame- the different parts
of the faces,
this was a collossal job, the bodies were equipped with hinges..
The puppet MASCOT is still alive ( it is seventy years old ) and has
often been exhibited in various places in the world.

Best regards
from
BEATRICE MARTIN-STAREWITCH

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