Pérák a SS /The Chimney Sweep(1946) torrent

Summary: The comic story of a legendary chimney sweep who, with the help of a spring from an old lounge chair, became the terror of SS troops occupying Prague during World War II. Attaching the spring to his feet, he plays games with the SS, always springing out of reach. The legend is used to develop the theme of the power of the individual in an oppressive society. (surrealmoviez)
AKA: Chimney Sweep, The
AKA: Springman & the SS
Genre: Short
Country: Czechoslovakia
Directed By: Jirí Trnka, Jirí Brdecka
Written By: Jirí Brdecka, Eduard Hofman





"The Chimney Sweep" (also known as "The Spring Man and the SS" is one of the most unusual cartoons I have ever seen and because of this, it's hard to give a rating to this one. It is worth seeing but it's certainly not the sort of thing most folks today would enjoy.

The film is a Czechoslovakian anti-Nazi occupation cartoon that came out just after WWII. While the story claims it might be true, it clearly isn't! The film begins with a horrid little collaborator spying on all his neighbors and reporting them to the SS. The folks who were arrested are marched past where a chimney sweep is working and he comes up with an odd idea--to put springs on his feet so he can sneak into the prison and liberate these people. And, using cartoon physics, he bounces all over the place--and destroying the Nazis everywhere. And, in the end, he's won the admiration of his countrymen.

"The Chimney Sweep" using VERY simple animation and is in black & white--so aesthetically speaking, it's not a lovely film. But, it manages to do a lot with this--looking very artsy and unique. I assume that color wasn't used simply because Europe was a mess after the war and color film stock was either not available or too prohibitively expensive. Still, it's a cute little cartoon--mostly for older film viewers, history buffs and the like. Odd but worth seeing. And, if you'd like, you can download it for free at