Often referred to as the "Russian Speilberg", Soviet director and visual effects pioneer Alexander Ptushko (1900-1973) created his own epic fantasy world filled with wind demons, sorcerers, and enchanted stone gardens. In 1935, Ptushko directed one of the world's first full-length animated features, THE NEW GULLIVER two years before Disney's SNOW WHITE. He later went on to make the haunting materpiece THE STONE FLOWER in 1946, Russias first color feature, followed by SADKO (1953), VIY(1967), and many other astounding fantasies. The Special effects in these films predate many of the techniques familiar to western audiences om such films as JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHHAUSEN.

Sadly, Ptushko's films have only been availbile in the US in long-out-of-print versions that were poorly dubbed, drastically re-cut, and often re-photographed from the original cinemascope into distorted pan and scan versions. (In fact, earlier in his career, director Francis Ford Coppola was assigned to re-edit SADKO for the american release as the MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD.) This series will feature beand-new 35 mm prints of the original Russian-language versions of the features (with English subtitles)-- the result of over 7 years work between the American Cinematheque and Seagull films in New york.
--Dennis Bartok, American Cinematheque, LA.
JAN 4 5
SAT 2 P.M., SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
THE STONE FLOWER
USSR 1946
DIRECTOR: ALEXANDER PTUSHKO Set in the Ural Mountains, Ptushko's dreamlike, visually ravishing fable follows a melancholy young stone-carver (Vladimir Druzhnikov) whose talents attract the attention of the mystical Queen of Copper Hill (Tamara Makarova); she seduces him into visiting her dazzling underground world, where the carver begins sculpting an enormous flower out of shimmering stone. Based on Pavel Bazhov's folktale The Malachite Box, THE STONE FLOWER was Ptushko's first great artistic and popular success, combining a hypnotic, almost religious intensity with images of stunning, supernatural splendor Paradjanovs COLOR OF POMEGRANETES meets Bavas HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD. Russias first full-color feature, and winner of the International Prize for Color at the Cannes Film Festival. (83 mins.)

JAN 11 12
SAT 4:30 P.M., SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
SADKO
USSR 1953
DIRECTOR: ALEXANDER PTUSHKO An oddly Russian Sinbad, SADKO seeks to bring happiness to his people by seeking out the "Bluebird of Happiness." His voyage takes him to faraway lands and eventually to India and Egypt. Two set pieces made a mark in film history: the underwater domain of the tsar of the ocean, and the golden temple of the Indian maharajah. A fantastical sequence of the Phoenix, a shimmering half-bird, half-woman, trapped inside the maharajah's gem-like palace, is one of Ptushko's greatest creations. (79 mins.)

JAN 18 19
SAT 4:30 P.M., SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
THE NEW GULLIVER
USSR 1935
DIRECTOR: ALEXANDER PTUSHKO One of the first full-length animated films made anywhere in the world, THE NEW GULLIVER tells the story of Petya, a young Soviet pioneer who falls asleep reading Swift's Gulliver's Travels and awakens in a surreal Lilliput. Ptushko's Lilliput has been updated to include jazz bands, mechanized tractors, and (in the best revolutionary spirit) the proletariat, who rise up with the help of the giant Petya! Ptushko's first feature as director is an astounding hybrid of stop-motion animation (more than 3,000 separate figures were used) and live-action footage. (68 mins.)

JAN 26
SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
VIY
USSR 1967
DIRECTORS: KONSTANTIN YERSHOV, GIORGI KROPACHYOV Supervising director Alexander Ptushko. On the want-list of most horror-fantasy fans for years, VIY finally makes its U.S. appearance here! Based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol, VIY tells the story of a bumbling, novice priest (Leonid Kuravlyov) who angers a demonic old hag to take her revenge, the witch disguises herself as the beautiful corpse of a young woman, whose last wish is to have the priest pray over her for three nights. Once trapped inside the village church, the priest encounters an astoundingly-grotesque parade of gargoyles and demons, literally erupting from the walls and the gorgeous witch herself, whirling around the church in a flying coffin! Plus, a clip from SADKO (1953, approx. 10 min.), featuring Ptushko's most singularly-stunning creation: a shimmering half-bird, half-woman, trapped inside a maharajahs gem-like palace. (78 mins.)