Daily Russian Anime
Posted on 14 October 2011
For those of you who lack your daily recommended requirement of Russian animation, see below the cut.
This is the first part of Dobrynya Nikitich i Zmey Gorynych (Добрыня Никитич и Змей Горыныч for those of you who read Cyrillic) by Ilya Maksimov of Melnitsa Animation Studio.
Dobrynya Nikitich is one of the Three Bogatyrs of Russian legend, as famed for their deeds of derring-do in Kiev as the Paladins of Charlemagne in Paris, or the Table Round of Arthur in Caerleon. This is a comedic take on the material, not lacking some shots of breathtaking animation (see, for example, the world below the floating bubble at about 2.00), and not without a claim to the best fight scene on celluloid at about 15.00, er, if ‘best’ includes over-the-top humor as well as tooth-smashing slo-mo Matrix-style action against the Mongols.
Baba Yaga makes an appearance later in the movie (not in this clip), together with her famous chicken-legged hut. She is perhaps somewhat reduced from her stature as a witch who commands the sun, moon, and stars, as one might recall her from the myth of Vasilissa the Wise. The monster Zmey is also reduced in dignity from his original role in the Three Bogatyr story to a comedy relief sidekick.
Here is a wikipedia summary of the bylina, or lay:
The bylina begins with Dobrynya’s mother telling the hero not to go to the Saracen Mountains, not to trample baby dragons, not to rescue Russian captives, and not to bathe in the Puchai River. Dobrynya disobeys his mother and does all of these things.
When he is bathing in the Puchai River, the dragon Zmey appears. Dobrynya has nothing to defend himself, and thinks he is going to die. Dobrynya then discovers “a hat of the Greek land” and uses it to defeat the dragon.
The dragon pleas for Dobrynya not to kill him and the two make a nonaggression pact. Once the pact is made, the dragon flies away and captures the niece of Prince Volodymir, Zabava Putyatishna.
When Dobrynya arrives at Kiev, Prince Vladimir tells Dobrynya to rescue his niece. Dobrynya makes it to the Saracen Mountains with the help of a magic whip given to him by his mother, and begins to fight the dragon.
Dobrynya fought the dragon for three days. On the third day of the bloody battle, Dobrynya feels like giving up and riding away, but a voice from heaven tells him to stay and fight for three more hours. After the three hours Dobrynya kills the dragon.
When he killed the dragon, the blood did not soak into the ground, and Dobrynya and his horse were stuck in the blood for three days. A voice from heaven told the hero to stick his spear into the ground and say an incantation. The blood was then swallowed by the earth and Dobrynya rescued Zabava.
Since Dobrynya is a peasant, he cannot marry Zabava and gives her to Alyosha Popovich. Dobrynya encounters a polyanitsa, Nastasia, and marries her instead.
Needless to say, this plot has a close a relation to the cartoon above as HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Disney has to NOTRE DAME de PARIS by Victor Hugo.
I have read maybe a zillion modern takes on the Arthurian mythos, but I cannot recall anyone who has taken a stab at a modern retelling of the Bogatyrs.
It is possible that a close examination of the film might reveal some minor influence issuing from American film or popular culture. Or not.
My edition of Zelazny’s Amber series features illustrations by Kay Nielsen as covers, and a lot of eastern european animation has that highly stylized look that most fans would associate with the likes of Yoshitaka Amano. ^^
There’s some really good Russian animation out there (and some great Forbidden-Planet-esque sciffy, too).
Here’s Russian Treasure Island:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUIfef58c8U&list=PLF7DAED201CED5269&index=8
There are some FANTASTIC Ray Bradbury adaptations, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LNHYz89sNc
Oh, it’s There Will Come Soft Rains!
Ah so the anime in the first video was about a Bogatyr, eh? Cool! We don’t hear much about them over here in the west, then again we kind of have our own version of them. To see a very cool painting of one, see the excellent cover art of Jonathan Moeller’s very cool book Demonsouled
http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?p=16
It’s actually free on Kindle and Nook!
No this message was not paid for nor endorsed by Jonathan Moeller
Oddly enough, even though I’ve never seen that picture before, I recognize that scene!
That scene is from the Bylny when one of the knights, Ilya Muromets, finds a stone in his path, and the inscription foretells that who takes the right hand path will find wealth, and who takes the left will find happy marriage, and whoso goes straight ahead will find death. Ilya, being of knightly spirit, goes straight ahead, and runs into Nightingale the Robber (Solovey Razboynik). Nightingale has the power of northern warlocks to whistle for the wind, and at his whistle, the tornadoes and gales come in dark clouds and flatten the forest. Ilya’s mighty steed is driven back by the roaring hurricane, but he scolds the beast and puts heart into it, drives forward with his mace and captures the unnatural monster.
Here is a comedy toon version of the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq9lXggcVYg
Here is a live action version, sticking closer to the original, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hooaKxdXbfM the scene with the stone is at the 15.30 mark, and a somewhat freakish version of Nightingale appears at about 16.45. (Of course they holy monks who cure Ilya of his lifelong paralysis were changed into bards or singers, so as not to offend Political Correctness).
A scene I find amusing in the original is that the wife of the Knyaz (Great Prince or Duke) wants to see Nightingale in action, and despite the warnings of the Knight who captured him, the warlock whistles up a storm in the midst of the feast.
(Here is aversion with subtitiles, but you need veoh player)
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v1978324469KswDny
If ever I get back to that sequel to LAST GUARDIAN OF EVERNESS, I surely should have Nightingale and Baba Yaga and other relatives of Koschei the Deathless show up.
Thanks for explaining that for me!
And thank you for the video (sadly I was only able to view the first, the second required a youtube account which I don’t have, and the third needed that player, like you said).
And here is the full painting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:19-v_2h_Vasnetsov.jpg
And more by the Artist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Vasnetsov
And then there is more on the Bogatyrs here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr
They are akin to our Knight Errant, so I find it odd we don’t see them used much in any of our literature, art, films, ect.
That’s ok. In my next book, I am naming my protagonist Ilya Muromets, even if he is from Tillamook, Oregon.
Some pretty good cheeses come from Tillamook Oregon.
I know. The cheese fame of his homeland is one of the plot points.
lol
ok, sure
But in all seriousness…would you ever consider doing or retelling the story (of the Bogatyrs)? It need not necessarily be set in the past (since SF is more of your style)
Downloaded
I liked your comment on covers and e-publishing,although
a good illustration doesn’t necessarily make for a good e-book cover.
“Downloaded”
Cool! I hope you enjoy it, I did. And if you like it, there are two more books in the same series, with at least one more in the works (that’s what the author told me).
“I liked your comment on covers and e-publishing”
Thanks
“…although a good illustration doesn’t necessarily make for a good e-book cover.”
True, but it still looks *good*
And to the second video:
WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?!
It sounded like a cat being run over by a bulldozer! Funny to watch of course, but terrible none the less! Also, I already see a difference between Russian kid shows and their Amercian counterparts, methinks the censors over here would find that a little too risque. But I could be wrong