Sadko

Based on a Rimsky Korsakov opera, Sadko is a 1953 Russian fantasy film directed by Aleksandr Ptushko, in which the heroic, handsome protagonist, played by Sergey Stolyarov, represents the socialist ideology by seeking to bring happiness to the poor and downtrodden people of his home city, while the evils of the capitalist West are portrayed by the city's selfish, money-hungry merchants. Almost a decade after the film's original release, the always enterprising Roger Corman had Sadko re-edited (by none other than Francis Ford Coppola), dubbed and retitled as The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, making it suitable for an American audience.

I watched the film in its Westernised format, but even though names and places have been changed, I still found it charming, retaining enough of its Russian-ness to make it a unique experience. Sailor Sadko - now called Sinbad - arrives in the city of Kobasan (originally Novgorod) and is dismayed to see the poor folk struggling to live while the merchants only get richer. He decides to set sail on a quest to find the legendary bird of happiness, which will make everything better, but after several adventures - battles with vikings, a narrow scrape in India, and an encounter with Neptune in his underwater kingdom - he learns that happiness was in Novgorod all along.

Don't expect any Harryhausen-style special effects in this particular 'Sinbad' movie - there aren't any. Instead we get rather more basic movie magic, including some very unconvincing model boats, but the cheapness of the visuals only adds to the film's appeal, highlights including the phoenix with a woman's head (actually very effective), the puppet fish and octopus in Neptune's palace (not so effective but very funny), and Sinbad riding a giant seahorse (simply bizarre). The acting is extremely operatic in nature, especially from Stolyarov, whose facial expressions, physical mannerisms and gesticulations are a marvel to behold - he's a master of the 'blue steel and stare into the distance with a wistful gaze' technique. Also expect some impressive dancing from the Kobasan peasants and eye-candy in the form of Sinbad's love interest Lyubava (Alla Larionova) and Neptune's beautiful daughter Morgiana (Ninel Myshkova).

I've heard that the original Russian movie is the superior version, but while that may be the case, I still found Corman's cut to be a fun way to spend 85 minutes.

Sadko (not Sinbad, ugh) is a hunk of a poet with a harp. He's got two girls in love with him: one is a nice village girl with a weird pigeon habit, and the other is the Princess of the Sea.... Clearly the thing to do is get out of town quick, so Sadko trades 3 goldfish for 3 boats (they were magic goldfish) and sets sail to find the Bird of Happiness. Along with a small army are Uncle Klepto, Big John, and Timmy the brash young mascot of the group -- these are not their actual names but they might as well be. The heroes are so cliché they're almost iconic.

Sadko and Co. spend the rest of the movie traveling to exotic places and getting into trouble with the locals. They battle Vikings, and play chess with the King of India. They bet a laughing horse for the Bird of Happiness and discover her true nature is not what they thought. They fight and are heroic, and on the return trip a storm threatens to sink the ships, so Sadko goes to the bottom of the sea to soothe an argument between King Neptune and his wife by entertaining them with his harp. Although the Princess loves Sadko she knows he prefers the pigeon girl. She helps him get home again on a speedy seahorse.

This is a very nice looking film. The story is fantastical without being too familiar. There is plenty of Russian flavor to make it semi-exotic to American tastes, and the Russian folk dancing is amazing. The special fx are charming and obvious, like stage tricks. When Sadko lifts a magic fish the light rays emitting from it are actually hundreds of metal wires sticking out of the fish! Most of the exotic locations are drawings, but the India sequence is full of elephants and dancing girls and over the top temples. The Bird of Paradise is satisfyingly surreal in a way that just wouldn't happen now with CGI. The final act in Neptune's Kingdom is a campy delight.

I rate it 8 out of 10. I'd originally seen the Sinbad version and I had to turn the sound down. It was that bad, and obvious the visuals were from a better movie. I'm glad I saw the restored Russian version because the visuals are much clearer and the original soundtrack is pleasant with strong music and the deep serious voices of the men. The story also made a lot more sense. Highly recommend! Would love to see more of this kind of film.

It's interesting that whether people liked or disliked this film seems to vary depending on whether it was seen in the original Russian, or the English version. It's NOT based on Sinbad, but on Russian folktales.

Did anyone else notice the similarities to "Alexander Nevsky"? Specifically, the hero gathering a band of stalwart Russians (mostly drawn from the peasant or working classes) to defeat a ruling elite. There seemed to be many cinematic homages to Eisenstein as well.

For the past month or so Russian fantasy films have really captivated me. Sadko certainly did that with me. Sadly the dubbed version(named The Magic Voyage of Sinbad) is one that should never have happened, it is absurdest rather than magical and replaces any thrills or wonder with unintentional humour and dullness. The Russian original(Sadko) has that sense of fun and magic, there is a little too much talk and the acting did seem a little stiff at times. However, it looks wonderful, the sets and costumes are eye-catching, the special effects have a sweep and charm to them and the colour just leaps out at you in a thrilling dazzle. The music is similarly beautiful, very like Rimsky-Korsakov, and the Russian Folk Dancing is both energetic and magnetic in how it is performed and choreographed. The story has the fun, thrill and wonder you'd hope for in a fantasy film and done in a way to captivate children and adults alike. The characters are like out of a fairy-tale but not done in a bland way. There is some stiffness in the acting sure, but there is also a certain nobility too especially in the titular role that matches the characters very well. In conclusion, I liked it very much but I do absolutely agree with those who say the original Russian version is the one to see. 8/10 Bethany Cox

It is worth pointing out that the link provided for those who want to buy this film takes you to where the American-International version is being sold, with the title of The Magic Voyage of Sinbad. This is a long way from being the same film. The A-I version is black-and-white rather than color, shorter, and seems as if it is not really the same film. My Betamax copy of this has not been watched in years, but I am certain lacked half of the interesting scenes, and certainly lacks the wonderful music.

The original version, as Sadko, can be rented from Netflix, and presumably is rented and sold elsewhere. It became available in the West only a few years ago in a dubbed format. It is a fantasy spectacle on a level with the Korda Thief of Baghdad.