Scarlet Sails (1961)

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Blistering performances.

Aleksandr Ptushko might be recognizable to western audiences from the riffing of reedited versions of his movies (e.g., "Sampo" retitled "The Day the Earth Froze") on "Mystery Science Theater 3000"). I understand that the original versions of these movies are worth seeing, not the sort of movies that MST3K would heckle. His "Alye parusa" ("Scarlet Sails" in English) is an impressive one. It's based on Aleksandr Grin's 1923 novel of the same name, and I understand that Grin's work enjoyed a renaissance under Khrushchev's thaw. The movie doesn't have the most complex story, but it's enjoyable enough for its hour and a half. One might interpret it as a look at the desire to break free of one's confines, whether Assol's peasant world or Arthur's aristocratic world.So, it's not any sort of masterpiece, but I recommend it. Probably the neatest thing about the movie is the filming locations around the Black Sea.Assol. That name has gotta make lots of English-speakers giggle.

SCARLET SAILS sounds like a normal 1961 swashbuckler but turns out to be something else entirely. It opens as a typical Russian fairy tale would, with a beautiful young woman pining for her empty life and finding herself whisked away by a dashing adventurer to go on some seabound adventure on the titular ship.The film offers the usual mix of Soviet ideals, moralising, social drama, and fantasy. The early scenes of the main character in the doldrums are quite well portrayed and contrast nicely with the more fantastic, ego-trip adventures of the latter half. The production values are fine. There's a greater emphasis on romance here than in other Russian fairy tale films I've watched, which meant that it wasn't really to my taste, but there's no denying the enthusiasm of those involved.

This is simply the most beautiful and romantic film ever made. Even stranger, it was directed by Alexnadr Ptushko, known for his fantasy films and spacial effects. I guess he wanted a change of pace from his overblown spectacles. He succeeds beautifully.This early 20th century novella is a classic in Russia yet, like The Wizard of Oz, the film is far better than the book. The two leads are outstanding and the girl who plays Assol is stunning! The musical score should be recorded. What a pity this is not known in the West.If you like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Random Harvest, The Bishop's Wife, One Way Passage and Somewhere in Time - and believe in miracles - this is the crown jewel.

I came across this movie by chance, and what a lovely chance encounter! The production value was high, for it was easy to believe that what was seen was really a little Russian village by the sea. The ship must have been authentic, outfitted with no less than real, scarlett silk sails! The story is a simple fairy tale, following the adventurous hero and graceful heroine from childhood.Sadly, this may not reach the audience it deserves. Perhaps that just as Western art students are reexamining Soviet creations without the political prejudice of times past, so too should these wonderful films come to light. I'd recommend this to anyone who appreciates classic storytelling.