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Narcissus

1983 · 22 min
Directed by Norman McLaren · Canada · Animation and Puppet Film
Short filmDrama

Cast

Jean-Louis Morin Sylvie Kinal Sylvain Lafortune

Credits

Cinematography: David De Volpi
Music: Maurice Blackburn
Produced by: David Verrall

Plot

In this short film by Norman McLaren, dancers enact the Greek tragedy of Narcissus, the beautiful youth whose excessive self-love condemned him to a trapped existence. Skilfully merging film, dance and music, the film is a compendium of the techniques McLaren acquired over a lifetime of experimentation.

Sinekatalog’s take

A graceful dance-film retelling of the myth of the youth who falls in love with his own reflection. It blends movement, music and visual effects with a craftsman's care, a treat for admirers of experimental animation and dance.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

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Ratings

IMDb: 6.8 / 10 (206 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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