The Debutante by Leonora Carrington - Animated

A spirited young woman convinces a hyena from London Zoo to attend a dinner dance in her place, an idea that demands both creativity and unexpected acts of violence. Inspired by a story by artist Leonora Carrington, Elizabeth Hobbs brings this striking tale to life using paint and collage.

The Debutante is a film by Elizabeth Hobbs, produced by Animate Projects with the support of the BFI, National Lottery funding, and with thanks to the estate of Leonora Carrington.  This animated short very safely passes the Bechdel Test even if I’m uncertain whether inter-species dialogue counts.  Never mind, it’s fantastic.  The animation suits the narrative superbly (it's as crazy as the story).  I also very much liked the voices used, particularly the knowing tones of Joanna David, who you might know from her appearances in Miss Marple, Foyle's War, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, The Darling Buds of May and Rosemary & Thyme.

Strangely, I was only vaguely aware of Leonora Carrington until recently, when I read the hugely engaging novel about women surrealists by Kathy Hopewell, Swimming with Tigers.  The sheer serendipitous synchronicity of stumbling across this glorious animation on Vimeo, having just “discovered” the artist made me scratch my head a little, at least until it turned into an olive.  

Although Carrington is not in Swimming with Tigers, events from her life do form the basis of some of its goings on.  You can read my review here and visit Hopewell’s website here.