Capital Celluloid 2012 - Day 242: Thu Aug 30

Ruslan and Ludmilla (Ptushko, 1972): Horse Hospital, Bloomsbury, 7.30pm
This is screening as part of the Scala Beyond, a six-week season celebrating all forms of cinema exhibition across the UK, from film clubs to film festivals, picture palaces to pop-up venues. You can find more details here at the website.

Here is the Horse Hospital introduction: An otherworldly adaptation of Pushkin’s famous poem. Ruslan and Ludmilais arguably the greatest masterpiece of director and visual effects pioneer Aleksandr Ptushko, one of the great image makers and innovators in the world of fantasy filmmaking, sometimes referred to as “The Red Disney”. Running at 149mins over two parts, this epic Fairytale magically delivers surreal characters—a sorcerer midget with a fifty-foot beard, a demonic, hunchbacked witch—and spellbinding sets such as the midget’s glimmering crystalline castle, hell bound figures chained inside a cavern, and a decapitated giant’s head. Ptushko’s final film follows Ruslan’s adventures as he fights to bring back the beautiful princess Ludmila from the little, impish hands of the sorcerer Tchernomor. A wonderful opportunity to see this underrated, fantastical cinematic feat! A true visualisation of legend and myth, not to be missed!

Here is an extract.