December 17, 2024

This opens like a Powell & Pressburger film with some glorious photography and musical accompaniment to kick-start an amiable fantasy adventure. It's all about the dreams of the young "Assol" (Yelena Cheremshanova) who has an encounter with a wizard who fills her head with what is seemingly the most impossible dream. She's young and impressionable, though, and very much takes to heart his promise that one day a proud ship will sail into their bay… read the rest.

This opens like a Powell & Pressburger film with some glorious photography and musical accompaniment to kick-start an amiable fantasy adventure. It's all about the dreams of the young "Assol" (Yelena Cheremshanova) who has an encounter with a wizard who fills her head with what is seemingly the most impossible dream. She's young and impressionable, though, and very much takes to heart his promise that one day a proud ship will sail into their bay, bedecked in bright red sails, and carrying a prince who will sweep her off her feet. Of course, everyone else in the place is entirely sceptical of her dream but she (now Anastasia Vertinskaya) is determined never to let go of that hope, even though she is by now a fully-grown woman who is the desire of many would-be, if hardly catch-of-the month, suitors. The story is the stuff of fairly standard fairy tale, but Aleksandr Ptushko has pulled out all the stops to give us something that's heavy on the colourful and aesthetic creativity to great effect. The supporting cast manage to mingle the jovial with the decent and yep, there's the obvious cad or two amongst them who are determined that she will end up just like all the other's in their small fishing village. Perhaps it will be "Arthur" (the distinctly Olivier-esque Vasili Lanonvoy) who might just prove her salvation, and not without some considerable sacrifices of his own - all in the name of promises kept and true love's kiss. It's the ultimate feel-good movie this that allows our hearts to rule our heads, refuses to allow mundanity or reality to clutter it and though maybe it's a little long in the middle, shows off the lighter side of Soviet film making in a cheery and uncomplicated manner. I'm not too sure folks nowadays would be allowed to stand on the pier yelling "Assol" without the police being called? Maybe that's not such a good thing.

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