‘Chromophobia’: Raoul Servais on the horrors of fascism
Earlier this year, the world lost one of its most talented animators when Raoul Servais passed away at the age of 94. While the Belgian auteur produced several notable projects throughout his career, it was Harpya which earned him international recognition after it ended up winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. Many of his works featured concerns about fascism and championed anti-war sentiments, but none of them did it quite like Chromophobia.
The 1966 piece is a fascinating gem primarily intended for children, revolving around a fairly simple allegory about the dangers of fascism. Set in a colourful little town that is full of interesting architecture and vibrant vegetation, Chromophobia depicts the aftermath of a military invasion. When the identical soldiers march in to establish their presence, they make it a priority to eliminate all the colours and the sense of individual identity.
During an interview with Sabzian, Servais revealed: “It was the war that influenced me. I lived a relatively sheltered bourgeois existence as a child, and then suddenly, we ended up living in abject poverty. Our house was destroyed by bombs. We literally had nothing anymore. The break with my previous life was very brutal. Every day, my family and I had no idea where we would sleep at night or when we would eat next. I think this experience inspired my social commitment. I also received assistance from left-wing progressive movements during my childhood.”
While the subject matter of Chromophobia is a recurring trope in a lot of anti-fascist art, it’s the style that makes it stand out. Incorporated with an impish sense of humour and determined to deconstruct the absurdity of fascist structures, Servais’ film portrays a form of resistance that is perfectly representative of the sociopolitical currents during the 1960s. For audiences who aren’t familiar with 20th-century European animation, it’s a fantastic introduction.
When asked about the animation traditions in Belgium, the director explained: “I didn’t understand why people were so bent on mimicking the Hollywood style, considering we have our own graphic tradition and own personality here. There were a lot of Belgian followers who created beautiful animation but who chose to follow this Disney style nonetheless. So why did we not use our own personality and our own graphic style to make an animated film?”
Chromophobia uses the Jester figure, one of the most iconic symbols in the history of literature and art, as his anti-fascist revolutionary who dismantles the structures of violence through his various tricks and endless mischief. Although the subversive political significance of the Jester has been noted by various scholars, Servais uses him to prove that comedy is one of the strongest forms of resistance against the dehumanising tendencies of authoritarianism.
Watch the film below.
