Cinderella

I think this is an excellent film, and far better than any of the Disney fairy-tales because, the actors are so great, and the music is so cheerful that I think kids will love it. But it's also a very funny and witty movie, and adults will enjoy it too. Here is a piece of dialog between the King and his guards as he yells to them from a tower:

King-Hellooo! Hellooo! Guards of this fairy-tale castle, do you hear me? (Guards-We hear you, your Majesty!) King-Did a girl with one shoe leave the gate of our castle? (Guards-How many shoes were on her?) King-One! One! (Guards-Was she blonde?) King-Yes! A blonde! (Guards-How old was she?) King-About 16! (Guards-Nice?) King-Very nice! (Guards-OK! We understand! No, we haven't seen her. No one has left the gate!) King-Then why have you asked me all these specific questions? (Guards-We were interested, your Majesty!)

Long ago I watched this movie as a kid and loved the story. Later on I watched it many more times when my kids were growing up, sharing their enjoyment. And I still keep watching it from time to time, but not for the story of course, rather for its very special emotional value. No matter how dragged down I am, it never fails to put me in good humor. This is a magic of genuine and simple human goodness that brightens the day. The movie is BW, very simple in a sense that it doesn't have any computer-generated effects, mind-boggling stunts so typical of today's fantasy cinema-- for those you should look elsewhere. But acting in "Zolushka" is very good. So if you want something that speaks to the heart -- you'll probably enjoy every bit of it.

Since we in the west are used to seeing the Disney versions of "Cinderella", it may surprise us that there was in fact a Soviet version. You probably never assumed that the USSR could have made such a glossy movie, but "Zolushka" is one impressive piece of work. For a country that wasn't into aesthetics, they produced a movie that was a real piece of eye candy. The screenwriters added a satirical side to it, but you'll probably best remember the costumes and scenery. During the ball, one of the stepsisters has Princess Leia hair buns.

Basically, this movie is more interesting than the ones released by Disney. I suspect that they had fun making it, especially with Faina Ranevskaya's emoting as the stepmother. An truly enjoyable time.

I bet that Yanina Zheymo had to beat guys off with a stick after starring in this.

I don't understand. Russian but I enjoyed every minute of it! When I think that this was made just after WW II, it's even more amazing as it has such a lavish look to it. Several of the Russian speaking reviewers refer to the jokes and witty dialogue which, of course, I missed but there was so much to enjoy visually that I didn't feel that I was missing anything. The beautiful "exterior" sets are particularly charming and have a perfect Fairy Tale feeling to them! There appears to be a use of miniatures although if they were, everything looks so good that it's impossible to know. It's just that so many of the sets are so large it's difficult to imagine that they were full size. I was similarly impressed by the special effects which were, I believe, exceptional for the period. When I think that this was made during the Stalinist period, i'm impressed that the film appears to be free of any hint of a political message although if I understood the language, I might have detected some subtle references. I would really recommend this - even if, like me, you don't understand Russian. And P.S., I'm also stunned to know the ages of the Prince and Cinderella! The whole time I thought they were extremely gifted teenagers!

One of the best examples of genius of Russian movie making. The songs are enchanting, the jokes are instant soundbites, acting is wonderful, the plot is captivating, without any fluff. Great movie not only for children, but for the adults as well.