The Bat (1930) Review: A Quaint Animated Fable for History Buffs

Alright, so if you're settling in for Yasuji Murata's 1930 short, 'The Bat,' don't expect a big, sweeping narrative. This one is really for the animation history nerds and folks curious about early Japanese cinema. If you're hoping for something with modern pacing or lush visuals, you'll probably find it pretty sparse. 🦇

The whole thing is an adaptation of that Aesop's fable about the bat who plays both sides during a war between birds and beasts. It's told with a really straightforward, almost economical style.

Murata's animation here is quite distinct, leaning into these almost silhouette-like figures. The way the birds and beasts kind of *clash* is more suggested than truly dramatic, with simple shapes moving against each other on screen.

And those bats, switching allegiance? It’s shown with a subtle, almost sly little shift, like they’re just smoothly slipping from one group to the next depending on who's got the upper hand. You can practically see the calculation in their little animated eyes. 👀

There's this moment during the war where a bird and a beast just sort of… bump into each other. It’s not a violent clash, just a polite sort of disagreement. Made me chuckle a bit, honestly, for how understated it was.

The short film moves really fast, like Murata just wanted to get the fable told without any extra fuss or filler. It’s efficient, you gotta give it that.

When the war ends and the big party happens, the bats are basically shunned. You really feel their shame at the end, even though it's mostly just them flying around in the dark. There's no big, dramatic monologue, just that quiet, solitary movement. It’s effective in a very understated way, relying on the visuals to do the heavy lifting.

It’s a neat little piece of animation history, showing how early animators like Murata worked with limited tools. It reminds me a bit of the simple charm in something like Monkeying Around, just in how direct it gets to its point.

Don't go into 'The Bat' expecting a masterpiece of complex storytelling. But as a historical artifact, a glimpse into early animation techniques, it’s pretty cool. It makes you think about how much has changed, and how some stories just stick around, no matter how they’re told. 🎬