A Fairy-Tale about Wandering

Country

Czechoslovakia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Romania

Copyright

1982

Production year

1982

Premiere

1 May 1984

Runtime

98 min

Category

film

Genre

horror, fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Pohádka o putování

Czech title

Pohádka o putování

English title

A Fairy-Tale about Wandering

Co-production title

Skazka stranstvij / Povestea calatoriilor

Summary

This unusual fantasy film by experienced Soviet director Alexandr Mitta was a coproduction in which Czech involvement was negligible. The heroes of Pohádka o putování (A Fairy-Tale about Wandering, 1983), a rather dark story for its time, are the impoverished orphans Marta and Maj. One day, Maj is abducted by Grandfather Frost [in Czech, “Děda Mráz”], who has learned of the boy’s unnatural talent for finding gold and aims to misuse it. Marta (Tatyana Aksyuta) decides to look for her lost sibling and with the help of the wandering inventor Orlando (Andrei Mironov) she makes a long and dangerous journey. It ends with her discovery of a grown-up Maj, transformed beyond recognition… The horror-like story bears little resemblance to a typical fairytale for children. By the end of Pohádka o putování, the young heroes are powerless and suffering from plague but have gained a moral lesson about the baneful power of gold.

Synopsis

Two orphaned siblings – Marta and her younger brother Maj – went carol-singing but received only a poor hamper. In their chilly room, they are surprised by Santa Claus coming in through the chimney. Santa Claus throws the young boy into his sack and disappears with him. It is because Maj has the gift of sensing the presence of gold which makes him sick. His kidnappers, Gordon and Brutus, plan to find a big treasure trove with his help. The desperate Marta vainly wanders through the snowy landscape. When she almost dies in a showdrift, an itinerant doctor and inventor, Orlando, saves her and accompanies her on her travellings. They encounter various adventures and also run into strange people – amongst them knights who are the saviours of the world and who live prosperously on the body of a dragon which they were originally supposed to kill. The pilgrims often get close to the kindappers but the latter always manage to evade them. Orlando has lots of notes about his inventions and discoveries written on the underside of his cloak. The two eventually end up in prison but as soon as they find a staircase leading to the tower, they fly away from its top on a flying device made of the cloak. When Orlando helps the inhabitants of a town smitten by plague, he himself dies of the disease. After many years, Marta discovers a castle and recognizes Maj in the rich and arrogant prince whose upbringing was unfavourably influenced by the kidnappers. Under Marta's influence, Maj realizes the cruelty of his behaviour and he himself tears down the palace acquired for the found treasure. He thus, however, also loses his supernatural powers.

Cast

Lev Durov

Voice by Jiří Holý
Gorgon

Ksenija Pirjatinskaja

Voice by Jan Kehar
malý Maj

Valerij Storožik

Voice by Michal Pavlata
dospělý Maj

Baltybaj Sejtmamutov

Voice by Jan Schánilec
Brutus

Carmen Galina

Mor

Marie Rosůlková

hodná babička

Karel Hábl

myslivec

Karel Bělohradský

zbrojnoš/strážný/lovec

Petr Hanus

muž s ohněm

Eugen Jegorov

strážný

Veniamin Smechov

Don Quijote

Alexandr Pjatkov

Vladimir Basov

advokát

Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan

Octavian Cotescu

Jean Lorin Florescu

Vladimír Dolinskij

Vladimir Kremena

Alexandr Titov

V. Simunin

O. Zavjalova

O. Štoda

B. Džandavletov

A. Panov

D. Alperov

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

M. Koldobskaja, Ljubov Ferdinandova, N. Esadze, Aurel Miheles, Milan Vácha

Assistant Director

Otmar Průša

Director of Photography

Valerij Šuvalov

Second Unit Photography

Nonna Fudim

Production Designer

Teodor Těžik, Aleš Voleman, V. Pticyn, M. Moldovan

Assistent Production Designer

Jaroslav Řeřicha

Set Designer

Jiří Forst, Milan Šilha

Make-Up Artist

M. Jermakova

Sound Designer

Jurij Rabinovič

Special Effects

V. Vasiljev, Jurij Sobolkov, Vitalij Stalnoj, Jiří Rumler, Milan Nejedlý, Trikový ateliér FSB

Stunt Coordinator

Nicolae Dide

Production Manager

Alexandra Děmidova, Georgeta Vîlcu, Jaroslav Řeřicha

Unit Production Manager

Ivan Helcl, Milana Melcerová

Unit Production Manager

Jan Bílek

Cooperation

Eva Marková (klapka)

Dialogues of Czech version

K. M. Walló

Direction of Czech version

K. M. Walló

Music

Music Composed by

Alfred Šnitke

Music Performed by

Státní symfonický orchestr kinematografie SSSR (Music Conducted by Mark Ermler)

Choreographer

A. Droznin

Songs

Teď je zima, teď je mráz

Song Composer Alfred Šnitke
Writer of Lyrics K. M. Walló
Singer Taťjana Aksjuta [dab]Jarmila Švehlová

Production info

Original Title

Pohádka o putování

Czech Title

Pohádka o putování

English Title

A Fairy-Tale about Wandering

Co-production Title

Skazka stranstvij / Povestea calatoriilor

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

horror, fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Romania

Copyright

1982

Production Year

1982

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1991

Premiere

premiere 1 May 1984 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Stanislav Rudolf (vedoucí 4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 800 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech