Morozko

I think I can solve this. I saw this first on MST3K, loved the way they

heaped abuse on it, one of the funniest shows ever.

This got me so into the movie that I bought the DVD, a really

beautiful package with the history of the movie and interveiw with the

star. Also, when you see the beautiful photography you can see how this

became an enchanting classic for many around the world. It's really

quite stunning. It really makes me want to see some of the other

Russian epics abused by MST3k, like "The Day The Earth Froze." Anyway,

if you have any taste for the unusual, this DVD is highly reccomended.

Nothing terrible will not see. For the Russians it is a very good tale, many were brought up on it. And no, that everything went crazy. Remember Pushkin's fairy tales: "There on unknown paths of the Traces unseen animals; the hut there on chicken legs It is worth without Windows, without doors". Every child knows, walking the houses,the trees, talking mushrooms, flying on a broomstick the witch Baba-Yaga is a fairy tale! What the wizard is a mushroom turned hero to bear, in a fairy tale wanted to show that rude and boasters it is bad. And let's not forget that this is all the 1964 year. What in those years, the special effects?

Must see it with an open mind! And keep in mind that it is an old Russian folktale, it is an old movie 1964 and translation as always is oversimplified.

1) This is not a Fairytale it is a FOLKTALE and the difference is huge!!! 2) Yes – Russian folk contains the elements of cannibalism 3) Yes – it states that time is illusion 4) Yes – Good always wins over Bad 5) Please read any folktales of African, Eskimo, Native American cultures and you'll see that almost all of these tales possess the same elements: talking birds, animals and trees that are human in someway...

6) Did this movie seemed psychedelic to you? Maybe because Russian folk were influenced by intake of psychedelic substances (Agaricus - the beautiful red mushroom with white dots) just like many other old cultures were influenced with intake of hallucinogenics or fasting to alter their mind and reality. 7) Some one wrote – `I suspect that there was simply lots and lots and lots of vodka present at the making of this film. After all, they had to keep warm in the snow, didn't they?' – This is very sad! Do Russians drink alcohol? Believe me no more than people from other countries do! Unfortunately Americans grew up on stereotypes that were fabricated by propaganda. 8) This is one of my favorite movies of all times. I don't know what kind of comments were made by the crew of MST3k but now after reading all these commentaries, I can see that they completely butchered the movie. And people who referring to the bad dialogs – how can you judge when you don't understand Russian and translations are always over simplified… The perception on acting, I guess, is very different in every country, you not going to compare the acting in Hollywood movie and acting in a play that is shown in theaters, right? Well, acting in Russia is different than Hollywood's it is more theatrical. 9) And about poorly made – the movie was made in 1964, for god's sake! 10) Some one wrote – "Nastinka" is CUTE…' – well, it just shows what Americans expect of the movies to be and that is why Hollywood is full of `cute' but talent less actors! 11) And to all of you who wrote that this is a mix of other stories… Well, the sad fact is that Americans don't even know the original stories! Because they only know what primitive Disney made for them. I am not talking of Walt Disney he was a great artist. But the Disney studio is a shame to his name. Very surprisingly Americans don't even know that Bambi is not a Disney story – it was a book at first, written in 1923 by Siegmund Salzmann 1869-1945. I live in USA for 13 years and did not meet even one person who would know that.

For all of you, who think this movie is stupid, just because it doesn´t fit into your watching habits:

Is it bizarre? Of course it is, but check these really old German, French or English tales and legends. I wonder what you´d say to the original Brothers Grimm collection. I think that´s also the problem with understanding, the people of America simply don´t have this part of culture, because it comes directly from the medieval age.

The story has its roots so far away, so deep in the Slav history, that if Hollywood would like to make something comparable, they´d have to steal the story from some ancient native American tribe.

Did not see the English edition, and happy about it. Being 100% fluent in both Russian and English, I cringe thinking how mangled a translation can get either way. Especially if the original is real heavy on cultural lore. I did watch and love the Russian movie - as little kid, and as a grown-up. This movie has very little 'Soviet' in it, really. It does promote the basic human values of being kind, brave, honest, polite etc, but is fully based on ancient Russian fairy tales. Slavic culture is thousands of years old, and these tales are on par with Kalevala, Ramayana, Beowulf, Iliad and other ancient epics.

To great credit of communist rule, the cultural background awareness was not suppressed, but strengthened and encouraged during Soviet era. Books were printed, movies were made; ancient Russian literature and history were studied in schools. Like many other European cultures, Russians preserved their identity. This movie is something they IDENTIFY with. In fact, any culturally educated person - not necessarily Russian - will recognize this movie for what it is and respect it.