In today’s episode of Gary Talks Physical Media, Gary ventures into a very different corner of the collection with Second Run’s Blu-ray release of Jiří Trnka: Puppet Master, a collection celebrating the work of legendary Czech animator and filmmaker Jiří Trnka.

Rather than a conventional feature-film release, Jiří Trnka: Puppet Master offers an opportunity to explore the remarkable world of Czech puppet animation through two of Trnka’s feature-length works, Old Czech Legends (Staré pověsti české) and The Czech Year (Špalíček).

For physical media collectors accustomed to Hollywood classics, horror movies, action films and new 4K restorations, this release represents something quite different: a chance to discover an influential filmmaker and an extraordinary form of handcrafted cinema that might otherwise remain difficult for modern audiences to experience.

Gary dives into both films and Trnka’s distinctive approach to stop-motion and puppet animation, examining the elaborate puppets, production design, atmosphere and visual storytelling that give these films an identity unlike almost anything being produced today.

How accessible are these films to someone encountering Jiří Trnka for the first time? Does the animation still impress decades after the films were created? And can a collection like this turn a curious physical media collector into a new fan of an entirely different chapter of animation history?

Gary also takes a close look at Second Run’s Blu-ray presentation, including the restorations and picture quality, audio, supplemental material, packaging and the historical context surrounding the films.

Boutique physical media is often at its most exciting when it does more than give us another edition of a movie we already know. Sometimes it can put an important piece of cinema history on the shelf that many viewers have never had the opportunity to discover.

Is Jiří Trnka: Puppet Master one of those releases? And is Second Run’s Blu-ray worth adding to your collection?

Watch Gary’s complete Jiří Trnka: Puppet Master Blu-ray review and find out! 🎭🪆🎬📀

📀 Gary Talks Physical Media covers the latest 4K UHD, Blu-ray, Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition releases, along with restorations, international cinema, overlooked gems and retro reviews from labels including Second Run, Arrow Video, 88 Films, Lionsgate Limited, Umbrella Entertainment, Flicker Alley, Scream Factory and more, examining picture quality, special features, packaging and, most importantly, the films themselves.

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