Sword And The Dragon

1960 · fantasy

"The Sword and the Dragon" (1960) is the Americanized version of the Russian film "Ilya Murometz" (1956) released by Valiant Pictures and presented by Joseph Harris and Sig Shore. The Russian original, was directed by famed fantasy film maker and animator, Aleksandr Ptushko, and was derived from Russian folklore. It was reportedly the first Russian film made in Cinemascope and 4-channel stereo sound. The Americanized version was released to television in a pan and scan, mono-only version which nonetheless is fondly remembered by American baby boomers who saw it oft-repeated on "Million Dollar Movie" in the Sixties. Voice-over actors in the American-version include Marvin Miller and/or Paul Frees (sources differ) and narration is by well-known news anchor, Mike Wallace. I far as I know, "The Sword and the Dragon" is no longer under copyright and there are at least two versions of it on Youtube, both apparently derived from the same very poor source. Research leads me to believe there was a version here on the IA which was subsequently deleted around 2008. This is the reconstructed pan and scan version with new opening credits. Excellent subtitled Russian editions of many of Ptushko's films, including this one, are available on DVD from Ruscico/Image.