KARACHI, May 9: Vuk (The Little Fox), a classic Hungarian animated film from 1981, was shown at the Goethe-Institut on Wednesday as part of the ongoing Windows on Europe film festival.

Adapted from the 1965 Hungarian novel by Istvan Fekete, the film tells the tale of Vuk, a little fox who is orphaned soon after birth and is raised by his kindly uncle Karak, who trains him in the ways of the forest.

Employing traditional techniques, it was a real treat to see this genre of animation, now a rarity with the prevalence of computer generated animation. Directed by Attila Dargay, the 76-minute film delivers an emotional message that appeals to young and old alike, as the little fox comes of age and learns the ways of the world.

Though the plot is based on the novel, the director lakes some poetic licence in altering it slightly. Also of note is the fact that Vuk was one of the highest grossing Hungarian films of the eighties. Incidentally, ‘vuk’ means wolf, and not fox in Serbian.

The dubbing left a lot to be desired, as the English soundtrack was so off-kilter at times, that serious moments appeared to be comical. This writer feels it is best to leave films in their original language, and have subtitles running instead, as re-dubbing the soundtrack takes away from the essence of the film. Some technical difficulties with the DVD also caused a bit of a hitch at the screening.

What We Did On Our Holiday, a Maltese film, and Viper In The Fist from France were also screened.—QAM