Malá morská víla

I first saw this film when I was ten in Germany. Quite by chance! I still remember listening to the little mermaid singing that bewitching beautiful haunting song at the beginning of the film and it stayed with me...until 15 years later, in England, they showed it... The film is far more than just another fairy-tale retelling! It is artful! It is more a film about unconditional love and the sacrifices one makes in life. The little mermaid gives up her father (who she loves above all else) and her home to be with the man whose life she saved. The film is beautifully shot - the mystical allure of the waves is captured and the music seems to dance with the waves. The Kingdom beneath the sea is somewhere magical and tangible. Her father laments on the nature of man who is bent on destruction and the film even touches on philosophy. It shows that man is subject to the laws of Nature. No-one can conquer the sea! There are things beyond Heaven and Earth. Other realms. It is a film rich in symbolism - from the little mermaid's bloodied feet upon the sand where she walks to the knife her father sends her through the ocean's waves so that she can kill her Prince and regain her immortality.I am now 39 and recorded this off German TV (have German satellite here in England!) and watch it every year..you can get the DVD at Amazon.de...it always reminds of me of why I am alive and that the secret of happiness is very simple indeed...This film is not a cartoon, but a proper film made in Czechoslovakia and will appeal to those of us who believe in the soul...The Little Mermaid is Innocence itself and her Beauty shines through every scene...

I think the little mermaid is the most tragic and sad lovestory in world literature. Forget disney, thats not hans christian andersons tale especially not what he ment to tell us. It's about unforfilled love. The sacrifice you are willing to make for the one you love. Alienation, loosing your voice and ultimately giving your own life for a greater good. This adaption is haunting and melancholic. The only downside is that the mermaid doesn't have a tail (well no cgi back then) but it may look odd when its about a mermaid becoming a human with legs, when she had them before, but they tried the best with those long blue ropes simulating the mer people. The main actress is simply stunningly beautiful and she's a redhead, even before disney she was ;-) Music adds up perfectly to the melancholy and the overall production is rich for a 70s czech production, like all their farytalemovies (three wishes for cinderella, sleeping beauty and others). I just saw the life action disney version. Worlds apart. You cant even compare cause its not the same story. Go watch this one!

Hello, I wish I could understand German,or Czech, because this is a fantastic Film which I saw in 1974, and is now available on WWW.AMAZON.DE

That is the German Amazon. And also with WWW.YOPI.DE Its called "Die Kleine Meerjung Frau" it was directed by Karel Kachyna, and It is the best little mermaid film! I recently viewed you tube and someone claimed to have a clip of Mala Morska Vila but it was the Russian film , and although good its nothing compared to this Great Czech version, and its 2 great stars the Safrankova sisters Miroslava and Libuse Safrankova. excellent and timelessly haunting.

If anyone has a copy in English or subtitled in English please please email me at

Sabina@in box.com

One more wonderful "Barrandov Movie". Back in USSR we used to watch anything, that came from "Barrandov Studios", especially children movies. This one matches the great standards they had in Czechoslovaky at 60-70-80s. Maybe too many "blank spaces", where they just show the sky or sea, but generally, beautiful scenery, nice costumes and the very best actors of the genre make this move one of the best filming of Andersen's "Little Mermaid".

Of course, this Czechoslovak film ranks among the best of the 70's. The movie came to being at the time after the ominous 1968, the directors were allowed to shoot either political (i.e. communist) propaganda pieces, or if they did not want it, they chose fairy tales. Kachyna tried the Little Mermaid and he did right.Time has not washed away its magic and inner beauty... The Safrankova sisters are excellent in their competing roles, the depiction of the Deep Blue Sea is flawless. The score is also fitting. The whole mood of the film is rather sad, the end, of course, tragic. If I compare the Czechoslovak films coming from those days to the films that are shot at present, it is clear that despite all modern computer methods and tricks the present ones lack the atmosphere of those in the past. It is not only the production that makes them worse but also the quality of screenplay and acting. Very sad.