Le Phonographe (The Phonograph)

An old phonograph assembles itself, plays songs on wax drums before self destructing. In many ways The Phonograph is a companion piece to Renaissance, there is nevertheless something quietly affecting about Borowczyk’s final ‘object’ animation. Through a succession of loving closeups, there is a sense of both a love of craftsmanship not to mention a nostalgia for a bygone (i.e. pre-War) age. Look out for cameos of the phonograph in Borowczyk’s subsequent live action films (A Private Collection, The Story of Sin and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne).