This animated film illustrates the battle of Kerzhenets and the struggle of the Russian people against foreign invaders. Using Russian frescoes and miniatures from the 14th to 16th centuries, the animators reconstruct the images in order to depict the bloody and violent encounters of war as well as the town’s sorrow for the fate of many soldiers. After the battle the townsfolk regenerate - sow seeds in the field, build new boats, as the blacksmith toils at creating sickles for harvesting. In the final moments, bread is broken and children play in a display of hope and innocence. Set to the music of a Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov opera, “Tale of the Invisible City Kitezh”, the film ably illustrates animator Yuri Norstein’s burgeoning talent, working with his mentor, Ivan Ivanov-Vano.
Credits: Directors, Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Yuri Norstein ; music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ; animator, Ivan Ivanov-Vano.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
F000075
Language
Russian
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
35mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)