Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Valeri Kozinets | ... | Ruslan |
Natalya Petrova | ... | Lyudmila | |
Vladimir Fyodorov | ... | Chernomor the Wizard | |
Mariya Kapnist | ... | Naina the Witch (as Mariya Kapnist-Serko) | |
Andrei Abrikosov | ... | knaz Vladimir (as A. Abrikosov) | |
Igor Yasulovich | ... | Finn (as I. Yasulovich) | |
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy | ... | Farlaf (as V. Nevinnyy) | |
Oleg Mokshantsev | ... | Rogdai (as O. Mokshantsev) | |
Ruslan Akhmetov | ... | Ratmir (as R. Akhmetov) | |
Sergey Martinson | ... | Ambassador (as S. Martinson) | |
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N. Nikolayev | ||
Nikolay Kutuzov | ... | Ambassador (as N. Kutuzov) | |
Shavkat Gaziyev | ... | (as Sh. Gaziyev) | |
Viktor Shulgin | ... | Golova (as V. Shulgin) | |
Eve Kivi | ... | Rybirka (as E. Kivi-Antson) |
Based on Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's fairy tale poem of the same name. In the midst of the wedding party of Prince Ruslan and Ludmila, Ludmila is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. Her father seeks help from his people, but of course Ruslan is the only one able to save her.
Wow. What a film. The more I see of Ptushko's work, the more I admire his wild imagination. There are beautiful visuals throughout such as the wizard's crystal garden or the upside down ceiling mounted fountains spewing multicolored water. There are also bizarre scenes such the gigantic head that advises Ruslan or the climactic duel where Ruslan hangs from the 30 foot long beard of a flying midget. A must-see for any fan of The Day the Earth Froze (Sampo) or Magic Voyage of Sinbad (Sadko) This came highly recommended to me by a friend who'd seen it at a film festival, and I was not disappointed.