Whooper Swans - the 1962 animated film

Whooper Swans - the 1962 animated film

The wild swans (Russian original title: Дикие лебеди, Dikiye lebedi) is a 1962 Soviet animated film directed by the husband and wife team of Mikhail Tsekhanovsky and Vera Tsekhanovskaya. The film is based on the homonymous short story by Hans Christian Andersen. Produced by the Moscow studio Soyuzmultfilm, the film was made in the 16: 9 widescreen format, unusual for Soviet films of that period, and especially for animated films in general.

The film was broadcast in Italy in the nineties by Junior TV. It was later broadcast in the late nineties with another dubbing within the American TV series Stories of my childhood (1998) broadcast in Italy by Rai 3, which included the film divided into three episodes. However the film was present in the series with different cuts and replacements and a different soundtrack. The dubbing was performed by D4 and directed by Rino Bolognesi on dialogues by Luigi Brunamonti. This latest edition was distributed on VHS by Avo Film Edizioni.

History

Princess Elisa and her eleven brothers live in peace and happiness, until their father marries again and brings home a new queen. Their stepmother is actually an evil witch, who with her magic tries to curse Elisa. Fortunately, the girl's good heart rejects her curse. The queen thus resorts to blackening Elisa's face and dirtying her hair, making her unrecognizable. The witch also attempts to transform the eleven princes into ugly black birds, but due to their pure soul, the curse is only partially successful and so they transform into beautiful white swans.

The queen chases them out of the castle and the next morning Elisa is also chased away, because her father did not recognize her. Left alone and with nothing, she sets out to find her brothers. After many years, she finally finds them and, she learns from a crow that the curse can be lifted. She will have to knit eleven sweaters with tall, burning nettles and she will have to take a vow of silence until the last sweater is finished, without getting distracted.

While working on the sweaters, she meets a king who falls in love with her and takes her to live in his castle. However, an archbishop conspires with the king's girlfriend, her niece, to get rid of her by making people believe she is a witch. Elisa is about to be burned at the stake when her brothers come to her aid at the last second of her. The girl covers them with her sweaters, and so the curse is broken. Elisa will be able to tell her story and return the love of the king.

Technical data

Original title Дикие лебеди (Dikiye lebedi)
Original language russo
Country of Production Soviet Union
Year 1962
Duration 60 min
Relationship 2,35:1
Gender animation, fantastic, dramatic
Regia Vera Tsekhanovskaya, Mikhail Tsekhanovsky
Subject Hans Christian Andersen
Film script Yevgeny Ryss, Leonid Trauberg
Producer G. Kruglikov
Production house Sojuzmul'tfil'm
Photography Elena Petrova
Editor V. Turubiner
Music Alexander Varlamov
Art director Boris Korneev, Dmitry Anpilov
Entertainers Elena Hludova, Victor Shevkov, Valentin Kushneryov Renata Mirenkova, Lidiya Reztsova, N. Chernova, Faina Yepifanova, Konstantin Chikin, Tatyana Taranovich, Vladimir Zarubin, Boris Butakov, Ivan Davydov, Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin, Tatyana. N. Avstriyskaya, E. Vershinina, K. Malyshev, V. Maksimovich, V. Rogov, Erast Meladze

Original voice actors
Valentina Tumanova as Elisa
Elena Ponsova: Queen, old woman, crow
Victor Sergachyov: young king
Erast Garin: the archbishop
Sergey Martinson: monk
Anatoly Shchukin: King father
Robert Chumak: Elisa's brother
Konstantin Ustyugov: Elisa's brother
Klara Rumyanova: Elisa (child)
Askold Besedin: narrator, young king (song)

Italian voice actors
Dubbing (Junior Tv)
Maura Cenciarelli as Elisa
Francesca Rossiello: Regina, narrator
Massimo Milazzo: King father, Corvo, Archbishop, brother of Elisa, narrator, young King (one scene)
Alessio Cigliano: young king, brother of Elisa
Marco Joannucci: Elisa's brother
Graziella Polesinanti: old woman
Re-dubbing (Rai 3)

Gaia Bolognesi: Elise
Paila Pavese as Queen Hildegharda
Alessandro Quarta: young King
Ludovica Modugno: Crow
Enzo Avolio: King father
Marco Vivio, Simone Crisari: Elisa's brothers

Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_cigni_selvatici_(film)