SAMPO (1959)
Aleksandr Ptushko's ravishing, mystical fantasy tells the story of a sinister witch Louhi who covets the Sampo
Based on the Finnish national epic "Kalevala," director Aleksandr Ptushko's ravishing, mystical fantasy tells the story of a sinister witch Louhi (Anna Orochko) who covets the Sampo, a magical, rainbow-colored mill that can produce endless salt, grain, and gold. When the hero Lemminkäinen (Andris Oshin) attempts to stop her, Louhi steals the sun, plunging the world into eternal darkness. A Finnish/Soviet co-production and shot like its predecessor ILYA MUROMETS in gorgeous CinemaScope, SAMPO features some of Ptushko's most surreal and fantastical imagery: a glowing red horse plowing a field of vipers; a boat of fire with a stag's head; a weeping mother literally walking across the sea to find her lost son. With its witch's incantations and repeated scenes of forging magical items - "Give me fire for the furnace from the nave of the sky!" - there is a Macbeth-like occult force to the film as well, underscored by the raging blue-gray seas and rock-strewn landscapes. Previously released in the U.S. in a dubbed, butchered version as THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE (and later mocked on MST3K), SAMPO has been beautifully restored in 4K by KAVI - the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute for its first-ever American release in its original Finnish-language version by Deaf Crocodile.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Newly restored in 4K
- Part 2 of pioneering Russian film scholar Alan Upchurch's essay on Ptushko reprinted from 'Video Watchdog' magazine
- New commentary by comics artist (Swamp Thing) and film historian Stephen R. Bissette
- New hour-long video interview with Mike Nelson of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' and Rifftrax, moderated by noted comics artist Bob Fingerman and Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile
- Original Finnish language trailer
