Andrei Khrzhanovsky’s animation is an allegorical tale about the purifying nature of art and the corrupting effect of money, greed and power. It is also notorious for being the first animated film to be banned in the Soviet Union. In a case of life imitating art, the film’s message of beauty as humanity’s moral compass and the challenging surrealist imagery proved too challenging for the state. Alfred Schnittke’s beautiful score plays throughout the entire length of the film.