THE SNOW MAIDEN (1969)

In the 1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union produced a number of colorful fantasy films based on fairy tales and folklore (see THE SNOW QUEEN for an earlier example). It's difficult to say who the intended audience for these was. I don't know how they were received in Russia, but most of them got dubbed into English and released in America either directly to television or as children's Saturday matinee movies. In dubbed (and pan-and-scan) prints, they come off as campy B-movies—indeed, a couple have gotten the MST3K treatment. As a child, I remember seeing TV Guide listings for The Day the Earth Froze, thinking it sounded cool, then being disappointed, mostly by its chintzy special effects, when I finally saw it in my teen years. But I've discovered that when you see them as originally released, in clean and colorful widescreen prints in Russian (with English subtitles), they're kind of interesting. This one is set in long-ago fairytale Russia where we see villagers holding a festival at Shrovetide (the pre-Lenten season before springtime) with lots of dancing and singing about the joys of love. But the Snow Maiden refuses to allow spring to arrive, and Father Frost lets her stay and live among the villagers for a time. She is adopted by an elderly couple and romantic complications soon arise: the Snow Maiden falls for the simple shepherd Lel; the burly Mishgar becomes engaged to Kupova but then is smitten with the Snow Maiden; Kupova tries to kill herself but Lel soon develops feelings for her. The Tsar arrives and, hoping to get spring to come, arranges for a village group marriage to appease the Sun King. Mishgar tries to assault the Snow Maiden but he is driven off by wood sprites (looking more like demons). Eventually, the Snow Maiden learns what love is all about and disappears in a ray of light so spring can finally arrive. At least I think that's what happened.

This has the trappings of a kiddie movie, but it doesn't feel like one that American children would embrace. There is a bit of comedy here and there, and a few songs, and the sets and cinematography work together to produce a magical look, but I couldn't warm up (I guess in a movie about a Snow Maiden, that's a pun) to any of the characters. I realize there is a cultural divide in operation. Variations on Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty stories are very familiar to me because I read those stories when I was very young and those templates have existed in Western culture for ages; the story of the Snow Maiden Snegurochka (the Russian title of the movie) has fairy tale elements but mixed in unexpected ways (the suicide attempt, the worship of nature gods, the mass wedding), and I wasn't sure who I should be rooting for. The performances are par for the course. Evgeniy Zharikov is handsome and sturdy as Lel, the most sympathetic character, and Irina Gubanova as Kupova is appealing. Eugenia Filonova as the Snow Maiden is appropriately cold and distant, but it was unclear to me why she wouldn't let spring come and what she wants out of the situation. I can't find any evidence that this was ever released in an American children's version, though I'd be interested in seeing it if it exists. (A movie called Snow Maiden ran on American television in syndication in 1968 but it was a marionette movie.) Otherwise, I would recommend this to fans of older fantasy films, and it fits in nicely with my tradition of watching fantasy films around Thanksgiving. [DVD]