THE MISSING LINK

France/Belgium, 1980, 95 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Picha.

The Missing Link is an odd film – a French animated story of primitive times. However, the emphasis is on a more ‘adult’ style of comedy, especially with sexual manners. It also has a rock music soundtrack and is meant to be an explanation of the dawn of humanity.

Some audiences might enjoy it for its animation style, its tongue-in-cheek spoofing of prehistoric stories as well as evolutionary theory.

1. An animated film for adults? Its drawing style, characters, layouts? The more adult tone? Style and communication for the theme of pre-history? The serious/comic response from the audience?

2. How well did the film create and continue its whimsical tone? The serious implications in looking at evolution, questions about the origins of humanity, relationship to animals, the development into intelligent creatures? the clever aspects of screenplay, drawing? The parody elements of similar films, of animation styles, of human behaviour? what did the audience leave the theatre with as regards understanding, response, humour?

3. The use of the musical score, the songs? The excerpts and their insertion into the film? The importance of the sound effects?

4. The Past interpreted in the sophisticated style of the present? Contemporary language, contemporary songs, contemporary visual style, visual reference?

5. The presentation of origins of time and development of time? A view of the development of earth? The evolutionary background? the recapitulation of prehistoric ages? Animals and their growth and survival? The emergence of humans from this background? The link between prehistoric animals and contemporary humans? The implications for moral growth and the presentation of good and evil?

6. Theories about the missing link? The animal side of human nature? The types of sub-humans initially presented? The emergence of 0? The dinosaur helper? The intelligent bird who trained 0? The build-up to the development of culture via the animal and bird mentors? The contrast with the undeveloped sub-humans?

7. The humorous picture of animals in human situations? the rats and the human pests, the intelligent birds, the dinosaur, the confrontation with the ants and the emphasis on their military style, the seals, the fish?

8. The presentation of the sub-humans and the parody on human types? Survival, starvation, relationships? Jealousy? The introduction of fire? Sexual intercourse? War?

9. How enjoyable were the adventures of 0? How well did they illustrate aspects of evolution? The history of humans in the recent past compared with the historic past? never changing? Themes of progress? The ironic conclusion with Easter Island?

10. The possibilities of insight for adult audiences via the techniques and styles of animation?