Seeing Raoul

by Sarah Musgrave

"Looking at a retrospective of my work is very strange for me," muses Belgian animator Raoul Servais. "I have the impression that it's not me who has done this, but that it was created by someone else or in different lives."

Not surprising, since Servais has reinvented himself with each creative outing, using a stunning variety of innovative techniques. He often combines animation with real backdrops and characters, and has been referred to as "the spiritual son of Norman McLaren."

A Painter-Filmmaker's Journey, a large-scale retrospective of his work, including drawings, backgrounds and costumes from his productions from the 1960s through '90s. Born in 1928, Servais has had a hand in everything from creating award-winning films to starting the first animation school on the European continent to designing a metro station in Brussels.

The artwork from his 1966 short Chromophobia (pictured) calls to mind the paintings of Paul Klee, the dark details of Edward Gory and Mad Magazine's Spy vs Spy in stained glass. The stylized protest film melds humour and politics, and was inspired by Servais' childhood experiences during the Nazi occupation.

At the Norman McLaren room of the Cinematheque quebecoise (335 de Maisonneuve E.) to April 30, 2000; $4, free on Wednesdays. :

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