Ilia Muromets

I remember seeing this film on the "Million Dollar Movie" on channel 9 {in the New York area} in the early 60s and I also had the Dell comic book adaptation.As a child it was impressive and it still holds up today.Basically its the story of the legendary Ilya Murometz{the Russian Giant}and his attempt to rid his land of the invading Tugars-in reality Mongols-who had their name changed for this film.The film features beautiful color photography, some massive battle scenes set against an Eisenstein like darkening sky, decent special effects like the Wind Demon, the Pig Man , the three headed fire dragon and some musical numbers too,including a sexy belly dancer at the Tugar's camp-adolescent fantasy material! .There probably is a pro Soviet message, but due to the fall of the Soviet Union it is no longer relevant.The acting which has often been criticized is actually pretty good on its own level, its just the English dubbing that somewhat works against it.An early example of the medieval themed "sword and sorcery" genre that became briefly popular in the 80s with films like "Excalibur" and "Conan the Barbarian", this one is entertaining, well produced and has an overall sense of innocence and wonder about it that is hard to resist. It may not be perfect, but it does what it has to do very well. Give it a shot. You might enjoy it.

Just sit back and assume you are going to see something so strange that you'll either flee to reruns of Beastmaster, or fall in love with an enchanting film unlike anything you've ever seen. Its an old Soviet production from the mid fifties, filled with overacting in the best traditions of social realist acting, and that indeed is part of the charm. But it is so much more, a child like wonder land of wind demons, magic swords, squirrels beating on mushrooms like bongo drums, and some of the best darn villians ever created. I first saw this in a theater when I was a kid and fell in love with the tale, so much so that it actually impacted my life in a major way. I wound up in a library, a ten year old wanting to read about Russian history, folktales, and above all else, the Mongols, who are the bad guys in the film. Well, I now spend my summers in Mongolia working on archaeological digs, have wandered around Russia doing the same, and though I teach American history on the college level, this film triggered a life long love of the exotic world of old Rus and the "Tugar," i.e. Mongol Hordes. . .along with the science fiction novels I write in which a Mongol like Horde are the major antagonists. For that alone I'm grateful to the weird genius of Ptushko, the director of this and several other equally strange movies. When I ran a college film series as a student I ordered this one up for what I guess you could call a "stoner's night," the old routine of strange cartoons, "Reefer Madness," and such. Everyone went nuts over "The Sword and the Dragon," and said it was the best of the night! Some of my favorite moments, the tower of human bodies, the great dancing girl routine, the 1000 lb envoy, the dancing squirrel, the wind demon, and the beautiful entry scene in the the court of Prince Vander. . .a moment as beautiful as any put on film and one of a couple of songs that are in Russian. So, go ahead and call it goofy. . .it might haunt your nightmares, you might just freak, call me a nut and turn it off in ten minutes. . .or you might get haunted by the film and watch it again and again. "Bravo Ilya Murometz!"

First things first: Get ahold of a good recording of Rheinhold Gliere's 1908-11 Op.42 - his Third Symphony - "Ilya Muromets".... Take a long drive in the most spectacular countryside you can find and make it a LONG drive as the symphony is 85 minutes LONG! In the grand tradition, then, of master Russian composers, Gliere' (think Bruckner or Mahler with Wagnerian overtones in a strong Russian accent!) created a complex and moving masterpiece of visual splendor. Google Gliere' and see what I mean; this masterwork is greatly beloved worldwide. You and the little kids must see this epic film of the bylini, or MYTH of Ilya Muromets. If you get the DVD, I suggest watching it with the symphony in your headphones and the remote in your hand. You will be able, with creative effort and grand delight, to 'orchestrate' the movie to the music, and vice-versa! It will thrill you even more to be such an interactive participant. In what for this writer is an indelible childhood memory: standing in a LONG line outside the Lowes Theater on Grand Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri - after drooling over the TV commercials for weeks- then being totally enthralled by Ptushko's theatrics and cinematic wonders on the Big Screen! But to top it off, dear Daddy took us home and cranked up the old SCOTT HI FI, put the 1956 Columbia recording of the #3 in B Minor by the Philaelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy (see the review at AMAZON by Avrohom Leichtling of Botstein's version with the LSO) and we acted it out all over again! What a stirring memory even now as I type these words! SO....Get this movie and see it with a couple of six and seven year old boys and pretend right along with them!

Like many who have reviewed the film before me, I saw this first as a child at a theater. The action parts impressed me, tremendous battle scenes with thousands of extras. The Wind Demon impressed me as did the Mountain of men, and the mountain of gold. Plot points were lost on me as was the erotic dance scenes. I remembered the heroic music, the beautiful scenery and the magic rug. It was with trepidation that I screened a you tube positing. If ever a movie cried out for restoration, it is this one. The color was faded to the point of being black and white. The print was fairly clean, but to view this on my small computer monitor made the loss of spectacle even more noticeable. One reads among the reviews the Soviet propaganda slant the people saw in the movie. It was based on a folk tale hero, one who like in the heros of our westerns of old, were straight shooters. Ilia plead his allegiance to the land, and those who work it. He would not be swayed by wealth nor power, from doing the right thing. You may call me old fashioned, but these time honored virtues are sore lacking in todays media. The Dragon of the title makes a very late appearance in he film, and is rather easily dispatched, still this was one of the first three headed fire breathing flying dragons I had ever seen in movies, and that alone boosts its "awesome to kids" factor way up. Glad I re watched it.

Having really enjoyed all of what I've seen of Alexandr Ptushko's films so far(my favourites being Stone Flower and The Tale of Tsar Sultan), I knew that I would want to see Ilya Muromets, or The Epic Hero and the Beast/Sword and the Dragon. And this was despite the fact that it got dubbed and the MST3K treatment. If you saw the dubbed version, like with Sadko(The Magic Voyages of Sinbad) and Sampo(The Day the Earth Froze)- though not as badly affected- you'd think that Ilya Muromets was cheesy, over-the-top and senseless. But actually in my opinion, like with those other two films, if seen in its Russian version it is a beautiful and fun fantasy film that is easy to see why the gushing reviewers were captivated by it so much in childhood. I can understand why people will find that the actors over-act, I consider the acting quite noble and in keeping with the film's style and that the dub makes things too overly-broad. In terms of the film's titles also, the most fitting is the Russian one Ilya Muromets, the English ones are rather misleading in comparison. Even today Ilya Muromets looks really good, the cinematography is sweeping and the costumes and sets are gorgeous and colourful to watch. The special effects to me hold up pretty well, some better than others(the wind demon for example is much better designed than the dragon), with a really endearing charm to them. The music score is heroic and rousing, lyrical and beautiful, not once does it jar with any scene. The story is enthralling, there is a real sense of adventure that is sometimes wonderfully surreal but always thrilling yet there is a strong Russian folk-tale feel about it. Plus unlike its dub it's actually coherent. Ptusko does a splendid job directing, he never allows the film to be dull and just looking at it alone you can tell it's a Ptushko film. In conclusion, a very good and beautiful film and a fantasy unlike any other. While it is the least badly affected of the Ptushko films dubbed and MST3K-treated, it is deserving of a much better chance, deservedly the dubs are torn to shreds but it's not always remembered that the original Russian versions are really good films. 8/10 Bethany Cox