Ilya Muromets (1956)

Director:

Aleksandr Ptushko

Writer:

Mikhail Kochnev (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy

Tagline:

Eye-Filling Spectacle! Man Against Monsters!

Plot:

Ilya is a cripple without the use of his legs. When he aids some weary travellers, they surprise him by giving him a potion that restores his legs...

Plot Keywords:

Wind Demon | Dragon | Extortion | Magical Cure | Broadsword

Cast

Boris Andreyev	...	Ilja Muromez [Ilya Muromets, US]
Shukur Burkhanov	...	Kalin
Andrei Abrikosov	...	Prince Vladimir [Prince Vanda, US]
Natalya Medvedeva	...	Princess Apraksia (as N. Medvedeva)
Yelena Myshkova	...	Vasilisa [Vilya, US] (as Nelli Myshkova)
Sergei Martinson	...	Mike (the traitor)
Georgi Dyomin	...	Durbar Muromets
Aleksandr Shvorin	...	Sokolnichek
Nikolai Glazkov	...	Plenchishye
Vladimir Solovyov		(as V. Solovyov)
Mikhail Pugovkin	...	Razumets
Sergei Stolyarov	...	Popovich
Shamshi Tyumenbayev		(as Sh. Tyumenbayev)
Sadykbek Dzhamanov		(as S. Dzhamanov)
V. Tyagushev	...	Kasyan

Also Known As:

Илья Муромец (Soviet Union: Russian title)
Ilya Muromets (International: English title)
The Epic Hero and the Beast (UK)
The Sword and the Dragon (USA)

Runtime:

Argentina:80 min | Soviet Union:87 min | USA:83 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Mosfilm

Trivia:

Ilja Moromez is a legendary Russian hero, a man who is said to have started out life as a cripple before being healed by a witch and becoming a warrior.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Sword and the Dragon (#7.17)" (1994)

Has its own goofy charm

While this film doesn't look as impressive today as it once did, you have to remember that it debuted here in 1956, when the big "epic" movie was DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," and this film has several things in common with it. This was a very, VERY big picture for 1956 Russia, and while technically there's no comparison with DeMille's picture, it has a kind of charming innocence that DeMille's definitely does not. The dated, over-the-top acting styles are common to both pictures, and while it sort of works for the Russian picture, it really doesn't for "Commandments," and was the one thing that always annoyed me about that picture (and pretty much all of DeMille's talkies, for that matter). I enjoyed the villains much more in "Sword and the Dragon," and the human pyramid scene is still astounding, as is the scene near the end where the Russian spearmen pincushion the Mongol chief and raise him, screaming and still impaled on their spears, above their heads; it was quite gruesome for 1956, and is still remembered by people who haven't seen the film for 20 years or more. Granted, some of the film is laughable--the simpering, pigtailed blonde girlfriend is a bit much--and some of the effects are pretty cheesy, but overall I still think it's an impressive accomplishment. The Russians put a lot of money into this movie, and for the most part it shows. The film is a bit lumbering, but not much more so than "The Ten Commandments," which is more highly regarded, and not entirely justifiably.

Overall, this is a somewhat goofy, charmingly dated but eminently watchable spectacle with some truly memorable scenes, so slip it in the VCR, pop open a beer, get some popcorn and see what passed for state-of-the-art cinema in 1956 Russia.