Review of The Old Mill

This to me is by far the most visually powerful and thrilling Silly Symphony of them all. Despite there being no words it speaks louder than most other entries in the series. The music is so wonderfully subtle. It's there, but unlike many of the others it's by no means the only thing that this short is about. You don't such hear the themes as feel them. I love all the various and endlessly rich details there are to take in, particularly of the mill itself. It was as if the place had a life of its own like the various creatures to which it gave shelter to. You can spot something new on every viewing. The striking sense of building momentum and force during the big storm sequence is nothing short of incredible. The orchestration of the wind, rain and lightning is awe-inspiring. The award was very well-deserved. It's a stunning example of what human hands and minds can create. I for one appreciate how the happy ending has something of a dark overtone to it. This is very probably just me, but even though the danger may be over this time, that windmill is afterwards noticeably precarious. If ever such a storm were to occur once again... You know, The Simpsons, of all things, made an affectionate little homage to this in an episode titled: "Bart has Two Mommies." Something I also found very welcome indeed was how the animals really did look like the real thing, unlike the singing and dancing sparkly-eyed animal-like sprites you usually get - not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was just a very nice change! The only bit I didn't enjoy as much was that of the little froggy chorus. I love frogs, but it was a little too whimsical compared to the rest. I love the humorous antics of the grouchy camera-shy owl. He's very similar to an owl seen during the "Little April Showers" scene in Bambi, and the Archimedes character from Sword in the Stone. Definitely one of the most striking and memorable sights is the blue momma bird who so bravely shields her eggs in what would be a futile effort had she not luckily happened to choose just the right crevice in which to nest. It's funny, even though you know she's safe and isn't gonna get smushed, I still feel a little shock of peril each time the wheel comes around! It really is like a glimpse into a little hidden world of nature. A world I imagine, still thoroughly unseen and unknown to the general public at the time. If some choose to view this as symbolising survival of world war or whatever, that's fine, but to me it just plain represents the way that life is fragile, but can with a little luck weather any storm and carry on even as things fall apart. Nice full-circle like effect, with the serenity of the opening and closing scenes. The ever-changing fortunes of nature, and of life... True quality in every sense of the word. Thank you.