Der Kurier des Zaren

Although Verne's famous novel has been filmed many many times,this one made number one at the 1956 French box office ;it was so commercially successful that a sequel was made afterward.

Okay ,Curd Jurgends (41) is too old for the part of the dashing young officer but he is efficient and handsome and he and Genevieve Page make a nice pair.You can notice other lovely actresses in supporting parts:Sylva Koscina ,the sword and sandal queen ,and Françoise Fabian ,who would turn into a rather intellectual thespian as the years went passing by .Sylvie ,a seasoned actress ,appears as Marfa Strogoff.

The screenplay is faithful to the novel,including the famous scene of torture with the red-hot iron .

Gallone's effort thoroughly deserved its success ;it was made for the whole family and can,from that point of view,be considered good Entertainment.

It is hard to believe that this French,German/Italian/Yugoslavian coproduction became such a hit in France. Today, such mix of nationalities is nothing uncommon, but in those days it was often a sign of compromise, since one company could not finance an expensive shoot like this. Therefore, we have a German star in the lead, and otherwise mostly french character actors, with a few italians as well, and the majority of Yugoslavian extras. Curd Jürgens looks like the classic arian the nazis have dreamed about but never ever convince me to be Russian.

But this is only one of many weaknesses in this film. Shot in Yugoslavia, the scenery never really looks convincingly siberian. The fighting scenes took much to long and have been badly staged, most action is filmed from far away, you were left to guess what was going on. And there are enormous plot holes. I assume the films first cut was much longer and has been drastically shortened. These cuts made it difficult to understand the narrative. On the other hand we have to watch unnecessary long battle scenes that bring the story nowhere. The film is a very annoying experience.

I saw Michel Strogoff when I was just a little boy in fifties, at cinema Elhamra in Izmir. Its Turkish name was "Volga Mahkumlari" (The Prisoners of Volga). Later, I read the Turkish translation of the Jules Verne book which was published with the same title of the original book the film was based on. I remember the run and chase plot of the book better than the film's plot. The only things I remember of the film are its sad (maybe gloomy)atmosphere and Curd Jurgens who was captured by spies of the villain and was blinded with a red-hot iron stick. The sequence made such a strong impression on me that although I have forgotten almost all the other aspects of the film ("the events happen in Russia") I have never forgotten it.

I must have noticed the existence of Sylva Koscina who has been one of my boyhood idols, for the first time in Michel Strogoff. I have completely forgotten Koscina's image in Michel Strogoff but still remember her Playboy photographs shoving her naked in water.

It would just be a wonderful nostalgic pleasure if I could have a DVD of Michel Strogoff! COSKUN BUKTEL

Opulent CinemaScope adventure film with Curd JÜRGENS (1915-1982), Geneviève PAGE, and Sylva KOSCINA!

The German-Austrian actor Curd JÜRGENS experienced his international breakthrough at the 1955 Venice Film Festival. He received the coveted Coppa Volpi for his roles in THE DEVIL'S GENERAL and THE HEROES ARE TIRED. Raised bilingually by his French mother, Curd JÜRGENS also enjoyed considerable success in French films. This Siberian adventure based on the famous novel MICHEL STROGOFF by Jules VERNE was his follow-up to the Mediterranean drama ET DIEU CREA LA FEMME with the brilliant Brigitte BARDOT.

THE Czar'S COURIER remains very faithful to the literary source material and captivates with radiant CinemaScope images that West German cinema could hardly afford at the time. Curd Jürgens was naturally a perfect fit for the role of the soldier loyal to the Tsar, who must deliver an important message through enemy lines.

Filming took place primarily in what was then Yugoslavia, which is likely how Yugoslav actress Sylva Koscina landed her role. Two years later, she appeared alongside Steve Reeves in the first two Hercules films from the Italian Cinecitta.

Entertaining entertainment for fans of classic adventure films!

In this fantastical story by Jules Verne, Michel Strogoff (Michael in the American titles) is a man larger than life. He's a strong and important captain in the Russian Army. The Tsar gives him a dangerous assignment, to go incognito through enemy territory and deliver a message to his brother fighting on the front lines. To make his disguise believable, they've assigned him a "wife", although Genevieve Page is a little uncomfortable pretending. Why, Gen? Doesn't she realize her costar is Curd Jurgens, a very strong, handsome, charismatic, manly fellow? In one eventful scene, he lifts a fallen birch tree with one hand, rescues a man from under a collapsed horse cart, and walks head-on to an angry bear and stabs it (don't worry; it's not gory). It's no wonder European audiences understood his masculinity and sex appeal - and it's a shame American audiences didn't get to see him that way. And if you think Genevieve might soften towards her "husband", you might be right.

This really is a great adventure story, and I'm tempted to find a copy of the original novel. The only problem is that I wasn't able to find a version with English subtitles, so most American audiences won't be able to appreciate it. I'm not so fluent that I caught every word, but I understood the majority of it and was able to easily follow the story. If you do speak French, you'll really enjoy this movie. So much went into the production, from the lush set designs to the beautiful period costumes, fine acting, and exciting music. It was the number one hit in France during 1956 - and it's no wonder! Also, if you like hearing Curd speaking French (which he does so beautifully, without a trace of a German accent), you have several more opportunities to catch him in French movies.