In the early 70s, the wonderful Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya made and directed five animations for Soyuzmultfilm (a favourite studio of mine) based on Greek myths. 1973's 'Perseus' is the fourth and penultimate one. All five are wonderful and about equal in quality, fine representations of how gifted Snezhko-Blotskaya was. All her solo director work is very well made, inventive and exciting, was also surprised at how daring her Greek mythology animated adaptations are.
'Perseus' is one of the most daring and is fascinating for any fans of Russian animation and Greek mythology. It is a wonderful representation of both and perfectly shows why Snezhko-Blotskaya deserved to be highly regarded. Proof too that Greek mythology can lend itself well to animation, while the real tales were more gruesome it still doesn't shy away, and a million times better than the abysmal Dingo Pictures animation which is best not be spoken of.
Soyuzmultfilm's animations were nearly always visually striking and in some cases stylistically unique. The animation is really beautiful, the luscious colours, elegantly drawn backgrounds and mostly fluid character designs are like a nice mix of Golden Age Disney, very early Looney Tunes and Fleischer. The character design for the gorgon is suitably creepy without being enough to traumatise.
The music fits really beautifully, very Russian in tone and manages to be rousing and understated when called for. 'Perseus' is well written, it would help if familiar with the Russian language (though that is not essential as the animation is so good at telling the story) but it flows well, is poetic as is the case with the Russian language and very pleasing to listen to.
Story is as thrilling and imaginative as it should be, treating the story and characters with respect, with plenty of recognisable parts, while with enough of its own touches to set it apart without being too much of a departure. It's still unmistakably Soyuzmultfilm, which is a good thing as they were a very versatile studio and easy to recognise from the visual styles adopted for instance. The fantasy element has a lot of charming imagination and the adventure enthralls and excites, hardly surprising seeing as Russian cinema and animation excelled at these genres individually and together frequently.
As for the characters, Perseus is likeable and heroic and the gorgon is genuinely creepy. What really does stand out is the remarkably risque design and characterisation of Andromeda. Voice work is dynamic but not too theatrical.
Overall, wonderful. 10/10.
