(1965)
3
Bruce Eder
The problem with making a live-action movie out of a fairy-tale, or a string of fairy-tales in this case, is that if one remains true to the source material, it's difficult to accept the material on a realistic level; that's one reason why operas can get away with what they do -- they're sung, so they're not realistic. Father Frost walks a very fine tightrope between true fantasy and the dramatic needs of a live-action movie -- it stays true to the spirit and content of fairy tales that serve as its source, but it arranges them in a way that does give the movie a comnprehensible dramatic arc. As a movie, it occupies a place all of its own, and a genre that is closer in spirit to opera than to film, yet remains simple enough to delight younger audiences. Director Alexander Rou found the two prettiest people in all of Russia for the two leads, had an extraordinary special effects team working for him, and came up with a movie that is special and unique.
Father Frost on AllMovie
Father Frost (1965)
