by Ted Davis
English Title: Ruslan and Ludmila
Directed by: Aleksandr Ptushko
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: When jealous supernatural forces snatch his untainted bride Lyudmila (Natalya Petrova) on their wedding night (and before the marriage was even consummated!), noble knight Ruslan (Valeri Kozinets), highly regarded defender of Mother Russia, embarks on a sacred quest to retrieve her from the obsessive grasp of long-bearded, pocket-sized wizard Chernomor (nuclear physicist Vladimir Fyodorov) and also contends with numerous unpleasant obstacles planted by embittered shriveled-up witch Naina (Mariya Kapnist). Based on the epic Alexander Pushkin poem.
Kitty Cameo: Naina interrupts the drunken binge of the foolish Farlaf (V. Nevinnyy), one of Lyudmila’s less notable suitors, to demand that he murder her accursed foe Ruslan, and she’s more than willing to use her dark magic to ensure his compliance. To further intimidate Farlaf, the witch transforms herself, becoming successively smaller until she appears as a mottled grey cat, which runs meowing across the wooden floor, losing the burdensome cloak, and leaps through an open window. This on screen transformation was achieved with the clever use of forced perspective, green screening, actors in cat costumes and finally a real cat covered in the witch’s cloak.
A moment later the cat jumps back on to the window frame (and it looks as if the animal got an assist from a stagehand) to gaze face-to-face with the frightened goggle-eyed Farfal.
The witch-cat hops downs from the window and scampers out of the shot, followed by Farfal.
As Farlaf approaches the slumbering forms of Ruslan and Lyudmila, the designing cat races past them and hides behind a conveniently shaped rock formation, to appear again after Farlaf has committed the cowardly assassination. In this last appearance, a real cat is replaced by a puppet or perhaps someone in a cat costume.
Final Mewsings: Personally, we found Naina in her cat guise much less intimidating than she was in her actual human form.
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and X.