Why Sadko (1952)?

It is sad to say, but Classic Soviet Films are rarely screened on the local repertory circuit, save for certain "sure fire" titles (exp "Battleship Potemkin" "Alexander Nevsky" the art-house propaganda titles in other words), this is a shame because even a colossal totalitarian system can produce genre films of rare sophistication & beauty. "Sadko" was the product of a testing time in Soviet History, Stalin had purged the arts (chiefly of any "Jewish Influence") and now set out to illustrate the intensification of class conflict by decreeing that All Soviet Films must be artistic masterpieces. So of course, film production in the USSR plunged during this period, no one dared approve a script that might result in a film that wasn't a Masterpiece. Director Alexandr Ptushko though, had two things going in his favor as he prepared to shoot "Sadko" one, Soviet Film Censors were pretty lax about approving films set in the distant past reasoning that the modern class conflict dynamic didn't exist per se in the Dark Ages, so filmmakers were absolved of the need to make The Vanguard Party of the Workers look good. Secondly, "Sadko" is a famous Russian Folk tale about a 10th Century troubadour who travels to strange magic realms in a brave search of a mythic Bird of Happiness by which to revive his beleaguered home town. This "Bylina" (a traditional slavic oral folk tale) had already been adapted by Rimsky-Korsakov into a Opera that was a mainstay of Russian Theatre throughout the Stalinist Era. So Ptushko had the right setting and the right property, he also had a profound epic visual sense and a straining desire to burst the limits of cinema in his time. And what the hell he succeeded. A Bright Colorful Poignant Fantasia that could easily be considered the USSR's Answer to "The Wizard of Oz"directed a man who could easily go toe-to-toe with Walt Disney. And in 1952, in the USSR that meant something, specifically because of the rigid application of Stalin's demand for film masterpieces, "Sadko", is one of exactly five Russian Language Movies produced under Soviet Auspices in 1952, the fact that it got made, and made so well, is nothing short of miraculous. So Hell to the Yeah, Channel Zero is screening Sadko, bold colors, state of the art special effects, folksongs and all! The Somerville Theatre (micro cinema) Friday, May 17th 8pm (sharp!) 55 Davis Square, Somerville Ma Admission: $7.50 (cash only, please note tickets are on sale thirty minutes prior to showtime in front of the micro cinema) 617-625-5700 In Russian (folksongs and all) Subtitled into English!!