The Scarlet Flower (1978)

What makes it different from others?

good back-story, and good acting

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The Scarlet Flower is a film from the Soviet Union that was based on a Russian fairy tale which was itself reminiscent of 'Beauty and the Beast'. In it a man goes on a trip and promises to return with gifts for his three daughters, the least materialistic of which asks for a scarlet Flower she saw in a dream. Her father finds the flower but it is the property of a fearsome forest creature, who gives him it but with conditions attached.A good number of the very best fantasy films based on fairy tales originate from Central and Eastern Europe and The Scarlet Flower is yet another example of this. It's probably because these stories so often emerged from this part of the world that these cultures often produced film equivalents which understood the source material so much better. Like other fascinating east European fantasies such as The Singing Ringing Tree (1957) from East Germany or Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) from Czechoslovakia, this one is also another atmospheric and visually beautiful bit of work which combines the enchanting with the dark and macabre. The forest, the waterfall and the crumbling woodland Gothic house all make for lovely locations; with the unusual characters like the old man, the witch and the beast being interesting fairy tale characters who add a further dimension of mystery and ambiance to proceedings. The leafy exteriors and interiors possess a dream-like feel, while the colour tints used only accentuate this further. Overall, I thought this was another example that shows the instinctive feel the East Europeans have for this type of unusual fantastical material.

The 1952 animated version by Soyuzmultfilm personally is superior, but both do justice to such a great story. The special effects here are not mind-blowing, sometimes a little crude. The film is very fairy-tale-like in its detail and atmosphere, it is lovely to look at and the colours are appropriately moody with striking colour tinges. The music is both ethereal and haunting, while the writing is never too sophisticated or childish, if anything it's gentle with a good sense of mood conveyed. The story is simple and leisurely and for the better, fairy-tales are better adapted like that in my opinion, contrary to what's been said before there is a sense of mystery and magic here though more convincing in the 1952 animated version. The ending is very heartfelt. The acting is noble, generally natural and not too theatrical, while the direction is solid and doesn't allow the storytelling to get too limp. In conclusion, not quite as good as the 1952 animation but lovely still. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This film came as extra with yesterday's SuperIllu magazine. (East German DEFA dub, "Die feuerrote Blume"). I read Hazel's not so positive comment before buying it, and wondered whether I was in for a disappointment. I wasn't.Although rated for ages 0 and up, I'm not sure whether young children will enjoy this - it's not very action-packed, and the Beauty & the Beast story is presented at a leisurely pace, quite subtly, often lingering on details.Not so subtle is the color editing, where about half the scenes are strongly tinted in yellow, blue, or red - sometimes to a degree that reminded me of colorized b&w films. But I wasn't let down by that - colors just added to the mood representation in my opinion, and especially the yellowish once were fascinating. This is a fantasy movie most of all.The music added to the style, too - from Russian folk songs to cembalo pieces. An interesting mix, and often enjoyable.Directed by a woman, the plot might be summarized most briefly as the struggle of two women (the bitter sorceress and the idealistic girl) for one man: the Beast/prince. It is a fairy tale after all. In the end, girl gets boy, and they might even live happily ever after. But at hardly any time did I find this film childish. In fact, I'd rate it quite high among the (roughly 10) Soviet "fairy tale" movies I've seen, though each has its strong points. And finally, thanks to SuperIllu for delivering one old-time socialist movie every first Thursday of the month :^)

A film based on a variant of the fable of the beauty and the beast, it never really grips the imagination, with weak use of special effects and lame characterisations.The colour is poor and the sense of being in the depths of the forest, prey to spirits and magic spells, is never really captured.