Scarlet Sails

1961 1h 28m RU

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 31★7IMDB · 704

RomanceDramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Assol was a little girl, she met a wizard who foretold that it will be a fine sunny day when a beautiful ship under scarlet sail would arrive and the noble prince would take her away to the world of her dreams where she will be loved and happy. The neighbours joked about her, children teased her, but Assol chose to believe in miracles and wait for her prince.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Anastasiya Vertinskaya
Assol
Vasili Lanovoy
Arthur Grey
Ivan Pereverzev
Longrene
Sergei Martinson
Filipp
Nikolai Volkov St.
Aglie
Sergei Romodanov
Captain Gop
Oleg Anofriev
Letika
Pavel Volkov
Poldishok

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aleksandr Ptushko
Writers: Aleksandr Yurovsky, Aleksei Nagornyj
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko, shot by Viktor Yakushev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Igor Morozov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Anastasiya Vertinskaya and Vasili Lanovoy and Ivan Pereverzev carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0054618 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 31 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aleksandr Ptushko directs. Viktor Yakushev behind the camera. Igor Morozov scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko, shot by Viktor Yakushev. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Igor Morozov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Anastasiya Vertinskaya and Vasili Lanovoy and Ivan Pereverzev carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0054618 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 31 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Viktor Yakushev
Original score: Igor Morozov
Production design: Levan Shengelia
Costume design: Olga Kruchinina
Makeup / hair: Andrei Dubrov
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Original language: RU
IMDB: Scarlet Sails (1961)
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 704 votes

Also by

Aleksandr Ptushko

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-17
★ 7/10
This opens like a Powell & Pressburger film with some glorious photography and musical accompaniment to kick-start an amiable fantasy adventure. It's all about the dreams of the young "Assol" (Yelena Cheremshanova) who has an encounter with a wizard who fills her head with what is seemingly the most impossible dream. She's young and impressionable, though, and very much takes to heart his promise that one day a proud ship will sail into their bay, bedecked in bright red sails, and carrying a prince who will sweep her off her feet. Of course, everyone else in the place is entirely sceptical of her dream but she (now Anastasia Vertinskaya) is determined never to let go of that hope, even though she is by now a fully-grown woman who is the desire of many would-be, if hardly catch-of-the month, suitors. The story is the stuff of fairly standard fairy tale, but Aleksandr Ptushko has pulled out all the stops to give us something that's heavy on the colourful and aesthetic creativity to great effect. The supporting cast manage to mingle the jovial with the decent and yep, there's the obvious cad or two amongst them who are determined that she will end up just like all the other's in their small fishing village. Perhaps it will be "Arthur" (the distinctly Olivier-esque Vasili Lanonvoy) who might just prove her salvation, and not without some considerable sacrifices of his own - all in the name of promises kept and true love's kiss. It's the ultimate feel-good movie this that allows our hearts to rule our heads, refuses to allow mundanity or reality to clutter it and though maybe it's a little long in the middle, shows off the lighter side of Soviet film making in a cheery and uncomplicated manner. I'm not too sure folks nowadays would be allowed to stand on the pier yelling "Assol" without the police being called? Maybe that's not such a good thing.

Production companies