The Little Mermaid

Karel Kachyňa's 1976 Czechoslovak film treats Hans Christian Andersen's tale with a pre-Disney seriousness. The mermaid saves a drowning prince and falls in love with him. To be with him on land she makes a bargain with a witch: her voice for human legs. But being unable to speak also makes it impossible for her to tell the prince who saved him. The film neither changes nor softens the tale's bitter ending, handling death, unrequited love and sacrifice directly. The design carries the particular aesthetic of Eastern European fairy tale cinema: plain sets, muted colour and costumes whose strangeness is emphasised. Choices like never showing the mermaids' legs give it a look of its own. Who it's for: viewers who like classic fairy tale adaptation and Eastern European fantasy. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a happy ending and a register suitable for children; the film finishes in sorrow.