Charodei

Charodei (Russian: Чародеи, translations - Enchanters, Sorcerers, Magicians) is a 1982 Soviet film directed by Konstantin Bromberg, loosely based on the science fantasy novel Monday Begins on Saturday by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky.

First script was more related to the canon novel (Monday Begins on Saturday) and was in fact an intention to make its screen version, with some new storylines though, but Bromberg didn't like it and Strugatsky Brothers wrote absolutely new script from scratch. History later repeated with another film by Sokurov "Days of Eclipse" (Dni zatmeniya).

Film became a classic Soviet New Year's Eve romantic comedies, such as Irony of Fate (Ironiya sud'by) and The Carnival Night (Karnavalnaya noch).

Plot summary

Ivan Puhov (A. Abdulov) is in love with a young and pretty girl Alyona (A. Yakovleva). Little does know Ivan that Alyona is working as a witch. The marriage is already scheduled, but just one circumstance of "winter heart" magic induced by Kira Shemahanskaya (Ye. Vasilyeva), the institute director, who is convinced by Sataneev (V. Gaft), separates them. Her friends — magic wood masters, working in NUINU (Scientific Universal Institute of Extraordinary Services, a NIICHAVO subsidiary in Kitezhgrad; for NIICHAVO see Monday Begins on Saturday) - decides to interfere and help to save the love. They convince Puhov to return and save Alyona right now.

Cast

• Aleksandra Yakovleva, Alyona Igorevna Sanina
• Aleksandr Abdulov, Ivan Sergeevich Puhov
• Yekaterina Vasilyeva, Kira Anatolyevna Shemahanskaya
• Valentin Gaft, Apollon Mitrofanovich Sataneev
• Yevgeny Vesnik
• Valery Zolotukhin, Ivan Kivrin
• Emmanuil Vitorgan, Kovrov
• Mikhail Svetin, Foma Ostapych Bryl
• Roman Filippov, Modest Matveevich Kamneyedov
• Anna Ashimova, Nina Puhova
• Semyon Farada, The Guest from South
• Leonid Kharitonov Amatin
• Ye. Abramova, Verochka
• I. Belger, Katenka
• V. Smolyanitskaya, as a master of a speaking cat
• Liliya Makeyeva, secretary

Film soundtrack

Film soundtrack includes many classical Soviet songs (some of them romantic), written by Yevgeni Krylatov and Leonid Derbenyov, including:

• "A woman's enigma" (Загадка женщины) performed by Irina Otieva
• "Three white horses" (Три белых коня) performed by Larisa Dolina
• "A song about a snowflake" (Песня о снежинке) performed by Olga Rozhdestvenskaya and Dobrie Molodtsy band
• "Witch-river" (Ведьма-речка) performed by Irina Otieva
• "A Song About a Suit" (Песенка про костюмчик) performed by Emmanuil Vitorgan and Mikhail Svetin
• "Imagine That" (Представь себе) performed by Aleksandr Abdulov
• "Time to Sleep" (Спать пора) performed by Mikhail Svetin
• "Serenade" (Серенада) performed by original cast members
• "Centaurs" (Кентавры) performed by Dobrie Molodtsy
• "By The Mirror" (Подойду я к зеркалу) performed by Zhanna Rozhdestvenskaya
• "You Can't Command Your Heart" (Только сердцу не прикажешь) performed by Zhanna Rozhdestvenskaya and Vladimir Lynkovskiy
• "Don't believe what they say" (Говорят, а ты не верь) performed by original cast members

Music performance by State Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography of the USSR.

External links

• Charodei at the Internet Movie Database