The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1984 film)

The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Directed by	Lev Milchin Ivan Ivanov-Vano
Written by	Aleksandr Pushkin (libretto) Lev Milchin Ivan Ivanov-Vano
Starring	Mariya Vinogradova Mikhail Zimin Roman Filippov
Narrated by	Avangard Leontyev
Music by	Mikhail Meyerovich
Edited by	Nataliya Stepantseva
Release dates	1984 (USSR)
Running time	56 minutes
Country	Soviet Union
Language	Russian

The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Russian: Ска́зка о царе́ Салта́не; tr.:Skazka o tsare Saltanye) is a 1984 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Lev Milchin and Ivan Ivanov-Vano and produced at the Soyuzmultfilm studio. It is an adaptation of the poem of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin. There are few words in the film besides those of the poem itself, which is read from beginning to end by the narrator and the voice actors. Some portions of the poem are skipped.

Here is how the director Yuriy Norsteyn spoke of Ivan Ivanov-Vano, mentioning this animated film:" Ivan Ivanov-Vano the first used motives and methods of folk art in animation. Study in Vkhutemas, education in traditions of the Russian vanguard, excellent knowledge of world art culture — all this affected in his creativity. From the point of view of art criticism mechanics, it would be possible to call him the formalist, he wasn't afraid to experiment. "The Humpbacked Horse" which became classics was such director's experiment. In it Ivanov-Vano connected everything: love to the Russian culture, poetry, knowledge of a profession, good possession of all arsenal of animation of that time. It turned Disney's technology into powerful action — the Russian movie. Here I was, of course, and a merit of the artist, Lev Milchin whom he didn't leave all life. "The Tale Tsar Saltan" became their latest work. It was the ideal tandem — irrepressible nature, the person soldier, the fanatic, the tyrant Vano and the intellectual to the core who wasn't affording anything superfluous, but everything Milchin, understanding, sharp to grotesque. For several decades its elements, its native habitat was the Russian fairy tale."

Plot

Nearly identical to that of the original poem.

Three maidens under a window spun late in the evening … And then much that was: both love, and slander, both treachery, and miracles, and set of magic adventures, and thirty three athletes, and, of course, happy end …

Adventures of the brave tsarevitch Gvidon, the great tsarevna-Swan and the tsar Saltan will remind that love, fidelity and strength of mind always win!

Creators

	English	Russian
Directors	Lev Milchin Ivan Ivanov-Vano	Лев Мильчин Иван Иванов-Вано
Scenario	Lev Milchin Ivan Ivanov-Vano	Лев Мильчин Иван Иванов-Вано
Art directors	Lev Milchin Ivan Ivanov-Vano	Лев Мильчин Иван Иванов-Вано
Artists	Irina Svetlitsa Igor Oleynikov Marina Ignatenko I. Troyanova V. Maksimovich T. Gerasimenko G. Stepanenko L. Alyokhina	Ирина Светлица Игорь Олейников Марина Игнатенко И. Троянова В. Максимович Т. Герасименко Г. Степаненко Л. Алёхина
Animators	Marina Rogova Nikolai Fyodorov Anatoliy Abarenko Andrei Ignatenko Vladimir Zarubin Yuriy Meshcheryakov Marina Voskanyants Antonina Alyoshina Aleksandr Panov Vladimir Krumin Sergei Avramov Viktor Likhachyov	Марина Рогова Николай Фёдоров Анатолий Абаренов Андрей Игнатенко Владимир Зарубин Юрий Мещеряков Марина Восканьянц Антонина Алёшина Александр Панов Владимир Крумин Сергей Аврамов Виктор Лихачёв
Camera operator	Mikhail Druyan	Михаил Друян
Executive producer	Liliana Monakhova	Лилиана Монахова
Composer	Mikhail Meyerovich	Михаил Меерович
Sound operator	Boris Filchikov	Борис Фильчиков
Script editor	Raisa Frichinskaya	Раиса Фричинская
Voice actors	Mariya Vinogradova Mikhail Zimin Roman Filippov N. Boronina A. Pokrovskaya Lyudmila Ivanova Anastasiya Zuyeva Nikolai Grabbe Boris Novikov A. Zolotnitskiy	Мария Виноградова Михаил Зимин Роман Филиппов Н. Боронина А. Покровская Людмила Иванова Анастасия Зуева Николай Граббе Борис Новиков А. Золотницкий
Narrator	Avangard Leontyev	Авангард Леонтьев
Editor	Nataliya Stepantseva	Наталия Степанцева

Video

In the early nineties the film was released on videotapes by the film association Krupny Plan. In the mid-nineties it was issued on VHS Studio PRO Video in the collection of animated films fairy tales of Pushkin and "The Twelve Months", and separately Soyuz studio. In the 2000s it was released on DVD by the Krupny Plan and Soyuz studio, and the same in 2003 — in one of releases of "A gold collection of favourite animated films".

See also

• History of Russian animation
• List of animated feature-length films
• List of films based on poems

External links

• The film at the Animator.ru (English and Russian)
• Skazka o tsare Saltane at IMDb
• The film at myltik.ru (Russian)