| Old Khottabych | |
|---|---|
Modern DVD cover of the film |
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| Directed by | Gennadiy Kazansky L. Mahtin |
| Written by | Lazar Lagin |
| Starring | Nikolai Volkov Alexey Litvinov Gennady Khudyakov |
| Music by | Nadya Simonyan |
| Cinematography | M. Shurukov |
| Distributed by | Lenfilm |
| Release date(s) | 1956 |
| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
Old Khottabych (Russian: Старик Хоттабыч, Starik Khottabych) is a fantasy comedy film produced in the USSR by Lenfilm in 1956 based on a children's book of the same name by Lazar Lagin. In the USA, the book was published under the title The Flying Carpet.
The film is also known as Starik Khottabych (Soviet original title) and Old Man Khottabych.
Contents |
Volka, a 12-year old Soviet Young Pioneer, discovers an ancient vessel at the bottom of a river. When he opens it, a genie emerges. He calls himself Hassan Abdul-rahman ibn Khattab, but Volka renames him Khottabych. The grateful Khottabych is ready to fulfill any of Volka's wishes, but it becomes clear that Volka should use the powers of the genie carefully, for they can have some unforeseen undesirable results.
The novel is obviously influenced by the tale of Aladdin and his magical lamp, and it was quite popular with Soviet kids.
There were two major versions of the novel - the original was published in 1938, and a revised version followed in 1955. This later version was the basis of the 1956 film. Revisions to the novel were made by Lagin himself in order to incorporate the changes taking place in the USSR and the rest of the world into the narrative. The newer version also includes some ideological anti-capitalistic elements. The original edition has been republished in the Post-Soviet era.
In 2006, a modern film remake was made. It was called Khottabych. This remake has nothing in common with the first film, except for the central plot point of finding a genie in a clay vessel.