The Triplets of Bellville

Within the first five minutes of the animated film "The Triplets of Bellville," spellbound by the boogie-woogie like music, you realize that you have taken off on an unconventional entertainment roller coaster. Djano Reinhardt plays to a frenzy that involves his toes, Fred Astaire gets eaten by his tap shoes, and Josephine Baker, performing a near naked hootchie-coochie gets rushed by all the males in the audience. All this in the first five minutes! Director Sylvian Chomet knits together a story from these characters: A club-footed grandmother, her cyclist grandson, his dog, and the strange triplets that make up a very weird ex-vaudville act. The film hangs together, despite an amazingly bizarre storyline, precisely because the cartoon is so imaginative and unpredictable, and the music is really good. I have a feeling that some people would hate this movie, but I really enjoyed it. Give it try . . .