The Magic Pipe
Encyclopedia
The Magic Pipe is a 1998
Russia
n stop motion
-animated feature film
directed by Mikhail Tumelya. Work on the film started in 1993, and it was Russia's fifth feature-length animation to be released after the collapse of the Soviet Union
(the first was Underwater Berets in 1991). Over 120 puppets were used in the film. The funds came largely from FAF Entertainment.
It was released theatrically at a number of film festivals before being released on VHS by Extra Video.
.
There is a very respected Nart named Saynag-Aldar who lives in a castle on a hill, and he has a beautiful daughter named Agunda who has eyes for no-one but herself. In a nearby village lives a shepherd named Atsamaz who was given a magic pipe by a god. Though he loves Agunda, only the pipe's music shows his love.
One day, Saynag-Aldar decides that he has had enough, and vows to find a husband for his daughter. He proclaims a contest to see who among the Narts is the most fit, with the gods in heaven deciding the winner. The famous bogatyr
Soslan is among the challengers.
The first part of the contest is marksmanship: challengers must hit the bull's-eye with an arrow while riding on a horse. None of them manage to do it, until Atsamaz. However, Soslan comes last, ridding very slowly and mockingly, and shooting backwards, but still his arrow pierces Atsamaz's arrow in half. The gods proclaim Soslan the winner.
The second contest involves dexterity. Atsamaz manages to dance on the edge of a large bowl without spilling any of the liquid inside. However, Soslan dances on the tops of a number of knives which he throws onto a wooden board, and the gods proclaim him the winner.
The third contest involves strength. Soslan lifts up and throws a huge boulder to Atsamaz across a deep chasm. Atsamaz manages to catch it and throw it back, but is unable to throw it all the way back to Soslan. The gods proclaim Soslan the winner. As Soslan basks in his glory, he boasts that no-one in the world is stronger than him. Agunda, who realizes that she doesn't want to marry such a braggart, asks her father to make him prove this. Saynad-Aldar agrees, and sends Soslan away to travel the world and search for anyone who is his match. He makes Atsamaz accompany him, so that he may back up his account.
Before they leave, Agunda hears the music of Atsamaz's pipe, and follows its sound. As he plays, animals stop to listen and flowers emerge from the snow. They meet, and he tells her that the music is for her. Agunda asks Atsamaz to give her his pipe as a symbol of his love, but he refuses, explaining that it is a present from the gods. When she tells him that this means he doesn't love her, Atsamaz breaks the pipe in anger and storms away. Agunda regrets her words, gathers up the pieces of the pipe, and goes back to the castle. As Atsamaz gets ready to throw himself off a cliff, Soslan catches up with him and reminds him that he must accompany him on his journey.
They venture out into the proud tribes that surround the lands of the Narts, and defeat all whom they come across. Finally, they come across a burial site for fallen Narts, where gods are said to grant wishes. Atsamaz suggests that they should leave an offering, but Soslan declines, saying that they have not helped him, and that he will give them 100 deer if they will find him a worthy adversary. Unknown to Soslan, the gods hear his wish.
They transport the two of them to a faraway land, where gigantic man-eating cyclops
live. Soslan walks up to one of them, named Uaig, and challenges him. Uaig laughs at them, and asks Soslan to try to pull out one of the hairs on the bottom of his leg. When Soslan is unable to do this, he sends them to a cave where they may find a "more worthy adversary". As they come into the cave, they are grabbed by Uaig's mother. While Soslan tries to challenge her as well, Atsamaz says "let this day bring you fortune, part of my mother". Upon hearing this, she lets them down and says that they are her guests for the day. She hides them in her dress. When Uaig comes into the cave, she feeds him a broth and puts him to sleep, and then transports Soslan and Atsamaz back to their homeland.
However, Uaig sees them go, and follows them. He comes to the valley of the Narts and causes destruction; nobody is able to stop him. A god comes to Agunda, rejoins the broken pieces of the pipe, and tells her to give the pipe to Atsamaz. She does this, and Atsamaz begins to play his melody. The song disorients Uaig, and allows Soslan to shoot an arrow which goes straight through his one eye, causing him to crumble. Soslan proudly declares victory, but there is silence in the valley; all around him are the dead and the dying.
Finally, after the Narts rebuild, Agunda is wed to Atsamaz. Soslan concedes that there is a power which is stronger than him: love.
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
-animated feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
directed by Mikhail Tumelya. Work on the film started in 1993, and it was Russia's fifth feature-length animation to be released after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(the first was Underwater Berets in 1991). Over 120 puppets were used in the film. The funds came largely from FAF Entertainment.
It was released theatrically at a number of film festivals before being released on VHS by Extra Video.
Plot
A grandfather tells his grandson a bedtime story about the ancient NartsNart saga
The Nart sagas are a series of tales originating from the North Caucasus. They form the basic mythology of the tribes in the area, including Abazin, Abkhaz, Circassian, Ossetian, Karachay-Balkar and Chechen-Ingush folklore....
.
There is a very respected Nart named Saynag-Aldar who lives in a castle on a hill, and he has a beautiful daughter named Agunda who has eyes for no-one but herself. In a nearby village lives a shepherd named Atsamaz who was given a magic pipe by a god. Though he loves Agunda, only the pipe's music shows his love.
One day, Saynag-Aldar decides that he has had enough, and vows to find a husband for his daughter. He proclaims a contest to see who among the Narts is the most fit, with the gods in heaven deciding the winner. The famous bogatyr
Bogatyr
The bogatyr was a medieval heroic warrior of Kievan Rus' and the Novgorodian Republic, akin to a Western European knight errant.- Kievan Rus' :...
Soslan is among the challengers.
The first part of the contest is marksmanship: challengers must hit the bull's-eye with an arrow while riding on a horse. None of them manage to do it, until Atsamaz. However, Soslan comes last, ridding very slowly and mockingly, and shooting backwards, but still his arrow pierces Atsamaz's arrow in half. The gods proclaim Soslan the winner.
The second contest involves dexterity. Atsamaz manages to dance on the edge of a large bowl without spilling any of the liquid inside. However, Soslan dances on the tops of a number of knives which he throws onto a wooden board, and the gods proclaim him the winner.
The third contest involves strength. Soslan lifts up and throws a huge boulder to Atsamaz across a deep chasm. Atsamaz manages to catch it and throw it back, but is unable to throw it all the way back to Soslan. The gods proclaim Soslan the winner. As Soslan basks in his glory, he boasts that no-one in the world is stronger than him. Agunda, who realizes that she doesn't want to marry such a braggart, asks her father to make him prove this. Saynad-Aldar agrees, and sends Soslan away to travel the world and search for anyone who is his match. He makes Atsamaz accompany him, so that he may back up his account.
Before they leave, Agunda hears the music of Atsamaz's pipe, and follows its sound. As he plays, animals stop to listen and flowers emerge from the snow. They meet, and he tells her that the music is for her. Agunda asks Atsamaz to give her his pipe as a symbol of his love, but he refuses, explaining that it is a present from the gods. When she tells him that this means he doesn't love her, Atsamaz breaks the pipe in anger and storms away. Agunda regrets her words, gathers up the pieces of the pipe, and goes back to the castle. As Atsamaz gets ready to throw himself off a cliff, Soslan catches up with him and reminds him that he must accompany him on his journey.
They venture out into the proud tribes that surround the lands of the Narts, and defeat all whom they come across. Finally, they come across a burial site for fallen Narts, where gods are said to grant wishes. Atsamaz suggests that they should leave an offering, but Soslan declines, saying that they have not helped him, and that he will give them 100 deer if they will find him a worthy adversary. Unknown to Soslan, the gods hear his wish.
They transport the two of them to a faraway land, where gigantic man-eating cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
live. Soslan walks up to one of them, named Uaig, and challenges him. Uaig laughs at them, and asks Soslan to try to pull out one of the hairs on the bottom of his leg. When Soslan is unable to do this, he sends them to a cave where they may find a "more worthy adversary". As they come into the cave, they are grabbed by Uaig's mother. While Soslan tries to challenge her as well, Atsamaz says "let this day bring you fortune, part of my mother". Upon hearing this, she lets them down and says that they are her guests for the day. She hides them in her dress. When Uaig comes into the cave, she feeds him a broth and puts him to sleep, and then transports Soslan and Atsamaz back to their homeland.
However, Uaig sees them go, and follows them. He comes to the valley of the Narts and causes destruction; nobody is able to stop him. A god comes to Agunda, rejoins the broken pieces of the pipe, and tells her to give the pipe to Atsamaz. She does this, and Atsamaz begins to play his melody. The song disorients Uaig, and allows Soslan to shoot an arrow which goes straight through his one eye, causing him to crumble. Soslan proudly declares victory, but there is silence in the valley; all around him are the dead and the dying.
Finally, after the Narts rebuild, Agunda is wed to Atsamaz. Soslan concedes that there is a power which is stronger than him: love.
Cast and crew
| English | Russian | |
|---|---|---|
| Producers | From F.A.F. Entertainment: Aleksey Guskov Sergey Zernov From AF-Centre: Lidiya Gapuzova |
От F.A.F. Entertainment: Алексей Гуськов Сергей Зернов От АФ-Центр: Лидия Гапузова |
| Scenario | Viktor Genkin (original chronicler) Ligia Gapuzova (scenario) |
Виктор Генкин Лидия Гапузова |
| Dialogues | V. Frid Mikhail Tumelya |
В. Фрид Михаил Тумеля |
| Director-producer | Mikhail Tumelya | Михаил Тумеля |
| Art Director | Dmitriy Surinovich | Дмитрий Суринович |
| Camera Operator | Aleksandr Betev | Александр Бетев |
| Composers | Zhanna Pliyeva Yuriy Pryalin |
Жанна Плиева Юрий Прялкин |
| Sound director | Yan Pototskiy | Ян Потоцкий |
| Editors | Lidia Volohova Irina Aleksenko |
Лидия Волохова Ирина Аксененко |
| Animators | Tatyana Yatsyna Anna Lysyatova Stanislav Speranskiy Anna Tumelya (uncredited) Mikhail Tumelya |
Татьяна Яцына Анна Лысятова Станислав Сперанский Анна Тумеля Михаил Тумеля |
| Live action cast | Aslanbek Archegov (grandfather) Askhar Dudiyev (grandson) |
Асланбек Арчегов (дед) Асхар Дудиев (внук) |
| Voice Actors | Rudolph Pankov (narrator) D. Matveyev (Soslan) A. Grinevich (Atsamaz) Olga Golovanova (Agunda) Yuriy Sarantsev (Saynag-Aldar) V. Kovalkov (Uaig) Venera Rakhimova (mother of Uaig) Aleksandr Lenkov (Afsati) A. Bykov N. Voronina Yuriy Malyarov L. Masharova T. Rodionova D. Netrebin B. Tokarev |
Рудольф Панков (рассказчик) Д. Матвеев (Сослан) А. Гриневич (Ацамаз) Ольга Голованова (Агунда) Юрий Саранцев (Сайнаг-Алдар) В. Ковальков (Уайг) Венера Рахимова Александр Леньков (Афсати) А. Быков Н. Воронина Юрий Маляров Л. Машарова Т. Родионова Д. Нетребин Б. Токарев |
| Actor assistant | T. Vinogradova | Т. Виноградова |
| Puppets and decorations | Tatyana Volkova Vladimir Shchegolkov T. Gorchakova T. Yevmenova Ye. Zaytseva N. Lebedeva D. Mashkov L. Orlova V. Podobed Ye. Samsonova S. Sviridovich M. Strotsev |
Татьяна Волкова Владимир Щегольков Т. Горчакова Т. Евменова Е. Зайцева Н. Лебедева Д. Машков Л. Орлова В. Подобед Е. Самсонова С. Свиридович М. Строцев |
Awards
- 19981998 in film-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
—MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
"Zolotaya rybka" (golden fish) festival: Grand Prix of the international jury - 19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
—"Orlyonok" Festival of Visual Arts: Grand Prix - 1999—Kechkemet International Festival of Animated Feature Films: 2nd Prize
- 1999—4th Open Russian Festival of Animated FilmOpen Russian Festival of Animated FilmThe Open Russian Festival of Animated Film is an annual animation film festival held in Suzdal, Russia. It is the only festival devoted to professional appraisal of domestic Russian animation...
: Special Jury Prize - 1999—KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
International Festival of Animation: Diplom "Grok" - 20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
—MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
"Golden VityazVityazVityaz is a Russian term for a valiant warrior or knight. Usually given to a man who owns a horse and proves himself in battle. The word is derived from the Old German Witing.The word may also refer to one of the following:...
" Festival: Golden Vityaz in the category Best Animated Film - 2000—GatchinaGatchinaGatchina is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of St. Petersburg by the road leading to Pskov...
Festival of Literature and Film: Prize for Best Film About Lovehttp://www.gatchina.ru/fest/fest6/fest6.htm
See also
- History of Russian animationHistory of Russian animationThe History of Russian animation is very rich, but is so far a nearly unexplored field for Western film theory and history. As most of Russia's production of animation for film|cinema and television was created during Soviet times, it may also be referred to as the History of Soviet...
- List of animated feature films
- List of stop-motion films
External links
- Volshebnaya svirel at the Animator.ruAnimator.ruAnimator.ru is a Russian website chronicling the films, people and studios of the animation industry in Russia, the former Soviet Union and the CIS. It also includes a forum, a news block, a photo-gallery and an animators labour exchange...
- VHS and film description at Ozon.ru
- Mikhail Tumelya's Live Journal profile
- The Magic Reedpipe (sic) with English subtitles at Youtube