Malá morská víla

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.

Forget everything you may have seen regarding the "Little Mermaid". This movie is by far the best adaptation of the story. We all know more or less the story but there is some magic in this film, the way Kachyna used the colors (mostly blue).The main actress is just amazing and her submarine kingdom is beautiful. One word to describe this movie: MAGIC

I discovered this film by mere casualty. I was surprised to know there was this adaptation of the story who definitely correspond better w the original tale. How precious is to find these lost gems. Nice decor and beautiful way of storytelling

This is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The sets and costumes for the world under the sea are dressed in blue and pale green and the world above in crimson and russet. The Sea People don't have tails due to 70's special effects limitations, so slow motion is used to represent movement underwater. This results in a dream-like vision of the mer-people's world. It's by far the most faithful adaptation of Hans Anderson's tale of painful unrequited love. If you're only aware of the jolly (and yet delightful) Disney version, be aware that this one is heart-breaking and quite haunting. There is definitely an English version out there (The German and Czech versions have released on DVD). I can remember it being shown in English on BBC1 around 1976/7. I do hope they release that version also. This is a true unsung classic and deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

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