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The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa

A film based on Franz Kafka's short story The Metamorphosis, the story is told through the animation of beach sand on a piece of glass. An imaginative sound track and innovative artwork combine to recreate a Kafkaesque world of alienation and guilt. Sound film without words.
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A film based on Franz Kafka's short story The Metamorphosis, the story is told through the animation of beach sand on a piece of glass. An imaginative sound track and innovative artwork combine to recreate a Kafkaesque world of alienation and guilt. Sound film without words.

Literature and Language All subjects
  • director
    Caroline Leaf
  • producer
    Caroline Leaf
  • animation
    Caroline Leaf
  • sound
    Normand Roger

Education

Ages 13 to 17
School subjects
Arts Education - Visual Arts English Language Arts - Children's Stories/Fables Media Education - Film Animation
Introduce the film by explaining the technique of sand on glass used by the filmmaker. Using prose, have students retell the story, remaining true to the film. Examine the idea of "metamorphosis". Suggest reasons why Mr. Samsa was transformed. Determine the point of the story. How effective is the particular technique used by the filmmaker? Would another medium have been more effective?
The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
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