The Magic Voyage of Sinbad

This lush, elaborate fantasy is one of the most popular films of Russian history; made in 1953 under the tight strictures of Soviet censorship, it brought to life a well-loved Russian fairy tale and featured a protagonist that displayed the characteristics of a Soviet folk hero. Sadko is a young Gusli player who, after boasting at a feast that he can bring home to Novgorod the Bird of Happiness, or the mythical Phoenix, sets out to do just that despite his fellow merrymakers' disbelief. Aided in his quest by the daughter of the Ocean King, who is in love with his voice, he travels to many faraway lands including Egypt and India, but in the end he learns that he never really needed to stray from home to find happiness. Sadko's value to society as an artist, his closeness with nature, kindness to the poor, and his loyalty to love and country, all reflect the idealized cultural values of the time, and the beautiful, extravagant mise-en-scene is breathtakingly gorgeous, with the scenes set in India and in the undersea realm particularly remarkable. (official distributor synopsis)