Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Tale of Tsar Saltan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 28, 2023

Co-writer/director Aleksandr Ptushko continues his exploration of fairy tales with 1966’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” which is an adaptation of a poem by Alexander Pushkin. Once again, the helmer puts on a wholly impressive show of filmmaking force, creating a fantasy realm that deals with the demands of love, family, and heroism, with the Russian epic taking time to build a wild vision of unreality as the details of such cinematic embellishment are carefully handled by Ptushko and his marvelous adoration for moviemaking imagination.

Hearing a wish of companionship and parenthood from a young woman, Tsar Saltan chooses his bride, but the pairing isn’t welcomed by the new queen’s sisters and mother, who conspire to destroy her, targeting her newborn son. While Saltan is at war, the queen and prince are banished to an island where he rescues a swan princess, receiving a grand kingdom of his own, soon confronted by Saltan’s return to his life, reconnecting with a man he barely knows.

“The Tale of Tsar Saltan” isn’t a dramatic viewing experience. There’s little in the story that grabs attention, offering a simple study of power and longing, with heaping helpings of magic. What’s special about Ptushko’s vision is how wonderfully he conjures the fantasy of it all, following Saltan’s courtship of the queen and his struggles with outside attacks, which come in the form of a troll army. Oddity is plentiful here, but the intended poeticism of the effort holds it together, setting a mood of adventure and discovery that extends to the presence of a singing squirrel, an oceanic- based army of giants, and magic shared between the princess and the prince, granting him insect form to aid his travels. It’s all sold with delightful special effects and creativity, but also some degree of sincerity, with the helmer staying with the broad emotions of the material and performances, looking to deliver something heartwarming after going on an incredible journey with heroes and villains.

The Tale of Tsar Saltan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.19:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 2001 Mosfilm restoration of "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," taken from the original camera negative. The packaging also credits "Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion." Obvious care has been put into this release, which provides as film-like a look at frame particulars as the source allow, capturing the expanse of the production and its bizarre and dream- like details. Skin particulars are decent, along with makeup additions, and interiors retain their cavernous appeal. Costuming offers acceptable textures. Exteriors secure deep backgrounds with sweeping shots. Colors are respectfully refreshed, preserving softer fairy tale hues with more striking golds and blues. Skin tones seem accurate with the exaggeration of the endeavor. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild scratches are found.

The Tale of Tsar Saltan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides a clear sound for "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," with expected elements of age not present on the track. Stretches of the film sound remarkably fresh, securing crisp dialogue exchanges. Scoring cues are deep, with a full orchestral sound and clear instrumentation. Music pushes into the surrounds, joining mild atmospherics and community bustle. Low-end supports scenes of war, with blasting cannons.

The Tale of Tsar Saltan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (10 pages) includes an essay by film historian Peter Rollberg.

• Commentary features film historian Stephen R. Bissette.

• Interview (69:36, HD) is a discussion of director Aleksandr Ptushko and his films with visual effects artist Robert Skotak.

• A Trailer has not been included.

The Tale of Tsar Saltan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With rhyming dialogue, big feelings, and an appreciation for the mysterious ways of this fantasy land, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" is truly a feast for the eyes, summoning a very Disney-esque atmosphere, though one with a greater appetite for strangeness. Again, it's not something that wins with plot, instead aiming to delight with a widescreen vision of enchanted events, sold with mind-boggling craftsmanship by Ptushko, who carries a seemingly endless appetite for the surreal and the extraordinary.