The Sword and the Dragon (1956)

A mythical knight goes on an epic journey and fights barbarian hordes in an ancient land.

Director:

Aleksandr Ptushko

Writer:

Mikhail Kochnev

Stars:

Boris Andreyev, Shukur Burkhanov, Andrei Abrikosov

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boris Andreyev	...	Ilja Muromets
Shukur Burkhanov	...	Tsar Kalin
Andrei Abrikosov	...	Prince Vladimir [Prince Vanda, US]
Natalya Medvedeva	...	Princess Apraksia (as N. Medvedeva)
Ninel Myshkova	...	Vasilisa [Vilya, US] (as Nelli Myshkova)
Sergey Martinson	...	Mishatychka (as Sergei Martinson)
Georgi Dyomin	...	Dobrynya Nikitich
Aleksandr Shvorin	...	Sokolnichek
Nikolay Glazkov	...	Plenchishye
Vladimir Solovyov	...	Kassyan (as V. Solovyov)
Mikhail Pugovkin	...	Razumets
Sergey Stolyarov	...	Aljoscha Popovich
Shamshi Tyumenbayev	...	(as Sh. Tyumenbayev)
Sadykbek Dzhamanov	...	Sartak (as S. Dzhamanov)
Vsevolod Tyagushev	...	Sbrodovich (as V. Tyagushev)

Storyline

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. He immediately becomes powerful and sets off to prove himself to his King. Doing so, he fights the evil Tugars, a wind demon that looks like a cross between a goblin and The Noid, a zeppelin-like ambassador, and the evil Tugars. Ilya gets framed for a crime he didn't commit, then is freed, then finally dispatches the Tugars and their dragon.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | magical sword | russia | sword and sorcery | fire breathing dragon | 

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Taglines:

Eye-Filling Spectacle! Man Against Monsters!

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

16 November 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sword and the Dragon

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Alternate Versions

A video release includes an American-made video (as opposed to film) prologue with an American family. The purpose of the prologue seems to have been to encourage younger viewers to read.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Surreal. . .Bizarre. . .you gotta love it

Just sit back and assume you are going to see something so strange that you'll either flee to reruns of Beastmaster, or fall in love with an enchanting film unlike anything you've ever seen. Its an old Soviet production from the mid fifties, filled with overacting in the best traditions of social realist acting, and that indeed is part of the charm. But it is so much more, a child like wonder land of wind demons, magic swords, squirrels beating on mushrooms like bongo drums, and some of the best darn villians ever created. I first saw this in a theater when I was a kid and fell in love with the tale, so much so that it actually impacted my life in a major way. I wound up in a library, a ten year old wanting to read about Russian history, folktales, and above all else, the Mongols, who are the bad guys in the film. Well, I now spend my summers in Mongolia working on archaeological digs, have wandered around Russia doing the same, and though I teach American history on the college level, this film triggered a life long love of the exotic world of old Rus and the "Tugar," i.e. Mongol Hordes. . .along with the science fiction novels I write in which a Mongol like Horde are the major antagonists. For that alone I'm grateful to the weird genius of Ptushko, the director of this and several other equally strange movies. When I ran a college film series as a student I ordered this one up for what I guess you could call a "stoner's night," the old routine of strange cartoons, "Reefer Madness," and such. Everyone went nuts over "The Sword and the Dragon," and said it was the best of the night! Some of my favorite moments, the tower of human bodies, the great dancing girl routine, the 1000 lb envoy, the dancing squirrel, the wind demon, and the beautiful entry scene in the the court of Prince Vander. . .a moment as beautiful as any put on film and one of a couple of songs that are in Russian. So, go ahead and call it goofy. . .it might haunt your nightmares, you might just freak, call me a nut and turn it off in ten minutes. . .or you might get haunted by the film and watch it again and again. "Bravo Ilya Murometz!"