Chelovek-amfibiya

1961's "The Amphibian Man" (Chelovek-Amfibiya) was that rare Soviet title that crossed the Atlantic relatively intact, bypassing Roger Corman for a straightforward dubbing job that reduced the running time from 96 to 82 minutes but otherwise remained as faithful to its source as the Czech "Voyage to the End of the Universe." Only a year or so before John Lamb's "The Mermaids of Tiburon" offered a beautiful tail to tell for masculine viewers (as played by Diane Webber), here we have a male version to engage the female contingent. Vladimir Chebotaryou and Gennadi Kazanskiy are listed as codirectors of this adult fairy tale of love beneath the waves, kicking off in typical Hollywood frenzy with reports of a strange aquatic creature terrorizing South American beaches (shot off the scenic Crimean coast), convincing wealthy sea captain Pedro (Mikhail Kozakov) to switch from pearl diving to monster hunting while his reluctant bride Guttiere Baltazar (Anastasiya Vertinskaya) only agrees to marriage for the sake of her financially strapped father (Anatoliy Smiranin). An attempted escape goes awry when she dives into the water and loses consciousness as a menacing shark approaches, rescued from certain drowning by the 'Sea Devil' that Pedro is searching for, hardly the fearsome description of the papers but an all too human figure (Vladimir Korenev) wearing an elaborate costume of webbed hands and feet. The young man is named Ichtyandr, son of renowned scientist Salvator (Nikolai Simonov), who was forced to transplant a shark's gills to replace his offspring's damaged lungs, enabling him to exist above and below the water, essentially a first step to create a utopian society that will live in freedom beneath the sea. Guttiere is unaware of the identity of her actual rescuer (Pedro takes the credit), and is startled when Ichtyandr calls to ask if she's all right from his place on the ship's anchor, so smitten with this never before seen vision of loveliness that he braves the big city against his father's wishes to find her. For one who has lived a sheltered life away from the trials and tribulations of humanity, the lad is literally a fish out of water when dealing with greed and prejudice, still making a strong impression on the girl, who feels a flattering connection to him for his unwavering admiration for her. Pedro is never far away to squash their blossoming romance, and her refusal to accept his unconditional gift of pearls shows how misplaced pride can often be. An audience used to viewing wild stories set in outer space may well be taken aback by this tender, inner space venture, fabulous underwater photography and solid characterizations ensuring great success in its native Russia (a reported 65.5 million theater goers), yet for decades poor quality prints in the West have done it few favors. "The Amphibian Man" and "The Mermaids of Tiburon" both share the need to supply a villain to provide conflict, perhaps unnecessary and almost guaranteeing a downbeat finale.

Perhaps this is one of the best Sci-Fiction film ever produced in the history of cinema for its content. Its presentation may not be the best due to color problems and very much evident make up of the actors and actresses. I assume that the story was going on in a territory of any Latin American country, probably Mexico. The plot is about a young man able also to live normally in the sea. His father, a scientist and physician, built up a laboratory in the depth of the ocean where his son passes part of his life. Being a rare organism, his father always warned him not to visit nearby city, but love came over when he met a nice lady sinking in the sea, and with this all problems started. The film showed that early 60s the Soviet directors and producers were not very much aware of the music in Latin America. Dancing was Spanish-like and not Latin American as such. Names chosen for the heroes of the film were also rare. The lady is called Gutiere when Gutiérrez is a common surname in Spanish, then Ichtiandros is the name of the main actor of the film, again an invention. In any case, it is nice to see several shots made in the sea, in a really beautiful environment, and also to see nice diving and swimming of various actors. Excitement is also assured in this material. However, it does not have the Hollywood-Happy End. It is more realistic in its end. The film has also its morale showing the miseries of people trying to make money, no matter if it is playing with the life of a human being.

'Amphibian Man' is one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. From the title, and the initial premise - poor fishman and their families are frightened by an unknown monster they nickname "the sea devil" - you might think you're in for a 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' style monster movie, but this movie is a completely different thing. What kind of "thing" it is exactly is difficult to summarize, because I can't honestly think of any other movie I've seen which is quite like it. Technically SF, but more of a fantasy romance in execution. It is a very unusual but charming movie. The "monster" turns out to be the son of a local benevolent scientist who has had shark gills transplanted into his body and has a secret underwater life. He falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a local fisherman who has been betrothed to an ambitious cad she doesn't love. It is a marriage borne of economic necessity. Pretty soon Amphibian Man and Ambitious Cad clash and our hero finds himself persecuted, and eventually kidnapped. I really enjoyed this film, it has quite a unique, eccentric feel to it and has some genuinely touching moments, and even a song or two. The production values are quite impressive for the era, the premise is interestingly handled, and the acting is generally above average. I was fortunate enough to watch the Russian print with English subtitles. I believe there are some badly dubbed versions of this movie around so try and avoid those if you can and see the original to fully appreciate this little gem.

I also saw this movie as a kid on late night TV. I never forgot it and would love to see it on DVD. I think it was the first time I fell in love. The leading man/fish is one of the most beautiful and sweet characters I had ever seen.

I loved this film for many reasons. Most people who saw it, saw it as children on late night TV, but I didn't get to catch up with it till now. It has a lovely heart to it and although certainly naive and simple for todays standards, it possesses a warmth that is so often missing from other mostly american films of it's Genre and time period.

Certainly there are some strange aspects to it. The setting - which is either Spain or Mexico clashes with the Russian language and the Greek, Spanish and French character names. Perhaps this is done to give a sense of internationalism to the film.

But the thing I loved most about this film is it's social rather than political subtext. While many of this 1960's SCI-FI Genre concentrate on Nuclear accidents, fear of technology etc, Amphibian Man is instead concerned with the world that is created by simple human greed and cruelty. There is no BIG threat here, only trying to exist in a world that is made by men who are greedy and selfish. It is interesting to see that while US cinema was hysterical about the threat of nuclear technology and specifically the threat of Communist Russia, This Russian Film was more concerned with working within the world as it stood and looking at the problems that do exist rather than scaring people with over the top nuclear threats.

The Amphibian Man is not created by accident - but by scientific technology, and the purpose is not as a weapon but as a social advance. Even the "evil" Don Pedro - never thinks of using the "sea Devil" as a weapon but only to collect pearls and increase Pedro's personal fortune.

It is a truly interesting movie, allowing me to see another mind set of that era that is not the American one. And the bittersweet ending is far from unsatisfying.