One of pioneering animator Lotte Reiniger’s most highly regarded works is returning to the screen on March 21 at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, with Dungen Presents: The Adventures of Prince Achmed. Dungen is a Stockholm-based music group which has composed a new, enchanting score to accompany the film, which premiered in Germany in 1926. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is currently the oldest surviving animated feature known.
The March 21 engagement is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Harold M. Williams Auditorium in the Getty Center. A limited quantity of pre-sale tickets are available now; general ticket sales open February 21.
The film is produced in Reiniger’s distinctive style, which utilizes intricate cut-out silhouettes against moody color-tinted backgrounds. The Adventures of Prince Achmed runs just over an hour as it retells the Arabians Nights tale of a wicked sorcerer who tricks the prince into mounting a magical flying horse. But the prince foils the magician’s plan to send him on a flight to his death, soaring into a series of wondrous adventures instead.
Dungen will be performing the evocative, vivacious new score live alongside the film. The band is known for its blend of psychedelic rock with Swedish and other folk music inspirations. The group released its first album, Ta Det Lugnt, in 2004, and under the direction of multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes has released nine full-length records and toured internationally for the last 15 years.
