I watched this 1926 German feature-length cartoon on TCM last night. Amazing. I had never heard of it. It is based on One Thousand and One Nights.
The score is by Wolfgang Zeller. I don't know if it has ever been released, but as this is a silent film, having the DVD is basically like having a CD.
I saw it, but thought the music no more than functional. 'Achmed brought to mind the Czech films of Karel Zeman such as the 1958 "Fabulous World of Jules Verne" which placed live actors within highly stylized painted backdrops and mattes.
I own a DVD of this which comes with a documentary on Lotte Reiniger and her astounding technique of silhouette animation & some additional shorts using the process.
You wouldn't think the style would lend itself to feature-length, but combined with the music score it is an engrossing experience. This is one of those genius uses of the film medium that exist in their own special class because nothing like it will ever be attempted again.
I believe it is actually the first feature-length animated movie that has been made. I was lucky enough to see it in a theatre accompanied by a live orchestra of about 30 players. The remarkable thing was how well it held up even by today's standards despite it being a silent movie done with paper silhouettes. There was a huge number of young people in that screening and they seemed to be totally enchanted by it. Like the early Disney features this a really timeless classic.
