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Evil wizard, cavern, immortal, heart, fantasy

posted 4 years ago by wositelec (303)
23 replies | jump to latest

It's fantasy movie from 60's, 70's or 80's, perhaps from Soviet Union. My friend saw it in 80's. The main character is a man (perhaps a young boy). His main enemy is an evil wizard. The wizard lives in a cave and keeps his heart. He doesn't leave a cavern. He is immortal (probably).I think that main weakness of the wizard was his heart and it was reason that wizard keeps own heart. At the end, the main character destroy his heart, when a wizard leaves a grotto. The wizard rides and falls from horse and die (something like heart attack).

It's similar thread like "Captain Sindbad" (1963), but it isn't.

Definitely not:

Kashchey the Immortal, Russian Кащей Бессмертный, 1945 B&W fantasy directed by Alexander Rou, with Georgy Millyar as Koschei.

Fire, Water, and Brass Pipes, Russian Огонь, вода и… медные трубы, Ogon, 1968 fantasy directed by Alexander Rou, with Georgy Millyar as Koschei.

Beloved Beauty, Russian Краса́ ненагля́дная, 1958 stop-animated film.

Sitting on the golden porch (На златом крыльце сидели), 1986 fairy tale directed by Boris Rytsarev

[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 4 years ago

Was this animated, or live action?

[–] wositelec (303) 4 years ago

Definitely live action.

[–] BastiLeVilly (6) 4 years ago

Could it possibly be this one:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0231141/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
"Андрей и злой чародей", which would be "Andrey and the evil wizard" in English. I don't know if it ever was released internationally, but it does have Millyar (who also played Kashchei) in a role somewhat fitting your description - an evil wizard living under ground and never coming up: He has three minions who do the work for him, but they turn good when they meet the hero. His weakness, though, is not his heart, but exposure to light - that's how the hero (a young man) destroys him.

There's, of course, the "original" Kashchei which has the part with the heart that is destroyed in the end - and it has also a final battle with the main hero (again, a young man, not a boy) where the villain is on a horse - but this one is from 1944 and in black and white:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167227/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
"Кащей бессмертный" aka "Kashchey the Immortal".

A film with a more or less similar plot to "Captain Sindbad" (going by the synopsis) is "Финист - ясный сокол" / "Finist, the bright falcon" (1976) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242459/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2), it also has a main villain, but not a very memorable one, and I can't quite remember anything about his demise.

[–] BastiLeVilly (6) 4 years ago

Sorry, for some reason I overread that you already excluded "Kashchey the Immortal"...

[–] wositelec (303) 4 years ago

Thank you very much! "Андрей и злой чародей is very, very similar. Perhaps it's my movie.

It's strange that I watched The Firebird (1997) and it has very similar plot. Evil wizard is Skeleton (similar name like Koschei). He is immortal and his only weakness is a heart hidden in a cave or something similar. Unfortunately, it isn't. Perhaps I have to find older version. I am sure that "The Firebird" is "almost my" movie.

[–] BastiLeVilly (6) 4 years ago

You're welcome! Check it out, maybe it's "Andrei..."

The villain with a heart / soul outside of the body is a pretty common folklore motive - especially in slavic folklore, where it's mostly associated with Kashchei, but not exclusively. Therefore, it's bound to pop up in lots of fairy tale movies from the (ex) Eastern bloc. The character of Kashchei (mostly with this motive) appears in 11 (!) Soviet children's movies, but mostly, even though the motive of the heart or soul outside the body (often in an egg) is present, his demise is somewhat parodied or varied, as in "После дождичка, в четверг" ("After the Rain, on Thursday"), where he himself is tricked into crashing the egg, or "Там, на неведомых дорожках" ("Along unknown paths"), where a young boy finds his "death", but he is only threatened and not killed. Lots of possiblilties here...

[–] wositelec (303) 4 years ago

BastiLeVilly - thank you. I check "Andrei...". Unfortunately, it isn't. I am sure that evil wizard was main enemy and he falls from a horse (at the end of film, because his heart was destroyed). But "Andrei..." is very similar. I think that it is very low-budget movie and it's reason that tough to find.

[–] wositelec (303) 4 years ago

I refresh my thread.

[–] StjepanHR (53) 4 years ago

Have You tried asking on Russian or Czech film sites, such as KinoPoisk or CSFD? Pretty much all (semi-)famous films were mentioned in this film and I guess the solution is in some 70s or 80s East European (most likely Soviet or Czechoslovakian, or maybe East German) made-for-TV film that is only a step removed from televized play (a lot of fairy tales were done in this format back in the day).

[–] StjepanHR (53) 3 years ago

Could it be some version of Das Kalte Herz? Possibly 1950 version from German Democratic Republic?

[–] wositelec (303) 3 years ago

Unfortunately, it isn't. But thanks.

[–] wositelec (303) 2 years ago

I need to know. My riddle is still unsolved :-)

[–] StjepanHR (53) 2 years ago

Maybe try to find regional variations of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giant_Who_Had_No_Heart_in_His_Body

[–] wositelec (303) 2 years ago

It's very good, but I didn' find. I searched TV Tropes too and still nothing.

[–] StjepanHR (53) 2 years ago

TV Tropes are extremely useeful for some things, but I doubt they would list obscure Eastern Bloc film from the many decades ago :(

As I said earlier, I think the only hope are Russian/Czech/Slovak/Polish forums and film sites. I doubt anyone outside of these countries has even seen the film in question.

[–] wositelec (303) 2 years ago

I agree with you. Do you have other ideas?

[–] StjepanHR (53) 2 years ago

It would involve some use of Google Translate, but I would reccomend the following:

Russia/Soviet Union: https://forumkinopoisk.ru/forumdisplay.php?s=7ac9925673e3672bcd406e10b00dd44c&f=13

Poland: https://www.filmweb.pl/forum/filmy

Czechoslovakia: https://www.csfd.cz/diskuze/seznam/

I have no idea for Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria.

I can exclude Yugoslavia myself, as I would 99,9% know about such a film. The closest one is "Čudotvorni mač" from 1950, but I am quite sure it is not the one in question.

[–] wositelec (303) 2 years ago

Thanks a bunch. I'll check all possibilities.

[–] wositelec (303) a year ago

I didn't find. Bump :-)

[–] StjepanHR (53) a year ago

I have recently seen Deváté srdce by Juraj Herc. Could it be the one?

[–] wositelec (303) a year ago

It isn't, but thank you for a guess.

[–] StjepanHR (53) a year ago

Sad to hear it. I am wondering who will find the film first - You this about the wizard or me the one about the psychiatrist haha

[–] wositelec (303) a year ago

I don't know. These movies are difficult to find. Similar situation is connected with my prison movie. Maybe it was unpopular and tv movie probably.