Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Tale of Tales

Original title: Skazka skazok
  • 19791979
  • 29m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Skazka skazok (1979)
  • Animation
  • Short
Distant, well-worn memories of childhood are inhabited by a little gray wolf. Through astonishing imagery, the memory of all of Russia is depicted.Distant, well-worn memories of childhood are inhabited by a little gray wolf. Through astonishing imagery, the memory of all of Russia is depicted.Distant, well-worn memories of childhood are inhabited by a little gray wolf. Through astonishing imagery, the memory of all of Russia is depicted.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Yuri Norstein
  • Writers
    • Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
    • Yuri Norstein
  • Star
    • Aleksandr Kalyagin(voice)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Yuri Norstein
  • Writers
    • Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
    • Yuri Norstein
  • Star
    • Aleksandr Kalyagin(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins

    Photos

    Skazka skazok (1979)
    Skazka skazok (1979)
    Dave Privett, Julie Aigner-Clark, Aspen Clark, Sierra Clark, and June Privett in Skazka skazok (1979)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Aleksandr Kalyagin
    Aleksandr Kalyagin
    • Little Grey Wolfas Little Grey Wolf
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Yuri Norstein
    • Writers
      • Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
      • Yuri Norstein
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Hedgehog in the Fog
    8.1
    Hedgehog in the Fog
    Tsaplya i zhuravl
    7.2
    Tsaplya i zhuravl
    Secha pri Kerzhentse
    7.0
    Secha pri Kerzhentse
    Dimensions of Dialogue
    8.1
    Dimensions of Dialogue
    Shinel
    7.8
    Shinel
    Listen to Britain
    6.6
    Listen to Britain
    The Cow
    7.5
    The Cow
    The Hand
    7.9
    The Hand
    Franz Kafka's a Country Doctor
    7.3
    Franz Kafka's a Country Doctor
    The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
    7.8
    The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
    The Old Man and the Sea
    8.0
    The Old Man and the Sea
    Street of Crocodiles
    7.6
    Street of Crocodiles

    Storyline

    Edit
    A reflection of Russian history and memory. Norstein creates a visual emotional response to a changing Russia, followed in the eyes of the Little Grey Wolf spying on various people's lives, and giving an insight on Russian culture in the 20th Century. —Anonymous
    • wolf
    • despair
    • hope
    • destruction
    • unrest
    • 48 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Animation
      • Short
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The title of the film, and partial inspiration, came from a poem by Nazim Hikmet. The original title "The Little Grey Wolf Will Come" was rejected by censors.
    • Connections
      Featured in Masters of Russian Animation - Volume 3 (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Utomlyonnoe solntse
      Written by Jerzy Petersburski

      Russian lyrics by Iosif Alvek

      Performed by Aleksandr Tsfasman

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A Soviet animation masterpiece
    Not much to add really to what's already been said before, and so well too. Tale of Tales is one of the finest Soviet animations ever made alongside Hedgehog in the Fog, and one of the most powerful and poignant of the entire animation medium too. The visuals are really striking, atmospherically coloured and impeccably detailed, several of the images are enough to stay with you forever and the symbolic ones are really quite meaningful. Tale of Tales is scored wonderfully too, all of it fits with the visuals like strawberries and cream whether ethereally beautiful in the retrospective moments or hauntingly rousing in the war/battle images. The story and atmosphere are rendered adeptly, the story is structured into three sections, each of them is firmly focused and full of emotional impact and they follow and overlap one another with no signs of jarring or clumsiness. The retrospective moments are nostalgic and poignant, the middle section is just gut-wrenching and the idealism of the final section shows some hope, contrasting beautifully with what's been seen before. Tale of Tales is well-paced, it allows the visuals to breathe and resonate nor does it descend into tedium, and the powerful, affecting and nostalgic atmosphere is incredibly well-done. To conclude, a fine example of a Soviet animation masterpiece and one of the finest examples too. 10/10 Bethany Cox
    helpful•7
    1
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Sep 12, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1979 (Soviet Union)
    • Country of origin
      • Soviet Union
    • Language
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Tale of Tales
    • Filming locations
      • Former USSR
    • Production company
      • Soyuzmultfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Skazka skazok (1979)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Skazka skazok (1979) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.