Last in the series of Russian fairytales made by Alexander Row. Golden Horns opens with serene dancing maidens of the Pyatnitsky state choir, circling hand-in-hand around a shimmering lake and through the forest, singing a hymn in praise of Mother Russia. As in Row’s previous films, a kindly old lady storyteller (Anastasia Zuyeva) addresses the kiddie matinee audience: “In olden, olden times, in our beautiful forest lived a deer called Golden Horns. He always stood by the weak and forgave no ill deed.” Our first glimpse of the deer with shining antlers finds him fleeing a band of buffoonish huntsmen. With his magical powers he dismounts the oafs and leaves them floundering in mud, while he gallops into the woods.
While out picking mushrooms, little Masha (Ira Chigrinova) and Dasha (Lena Chigrinova) fall afoul of the wicked witch Baba Yaga (Georgy Millyar), who lives in a house that walks on giant chicken legs. The ill-tempered hag turns the girls into frightened fawns and plans to pop them in her cooking pot. Whilst searching for her missing daughters, brave Yevdokia (Raissa Ryazanova) and her faithful talking dog help Golden Horns elude the angry hunters. In gratitude he gives Yevdokia a magic ring and points her in the direction of the Sun, the Moon and the Wind for help in finding Baba Yaga’s hideout. Meanwhile, Yevdokia’s son Kiriyusha follows the trail with his clever talking cat Vaska follow the trail hoping to lend a helping hand. But can mother and son outwit Baba Yaga and all her powers of witchcraft?
Critics were often suspicious of Russian fairytale films. Given healthier budgets than their social realist brethren many often skewed towards simplistic propaganda. The films of Alexander Row and his contemporary Alexander Ptushko were warmer, wiser and wittier than most, but it’s not hard to read between the lines. Yevdokia is Mother Russia herself protecting her naïve and wayward children, while the forest stands in for wider Europe and its witches and goblins are wicked, spoiled aristocrats and capitalist exploiters. Having played Baba Yaga since the 1940s, Georgy Millyar has his act honed to perfection. He also sings a zany pop number, because rock and roll is the instrument of evil in Russian kids’ films - see also Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (1963).
Early Baba Yaga movies dwelt on the witch’s exile to the forest, offering an allegory for the expulsion of rich, pampered bourgeois and carrying unfortunate traces of anti-Semitism. By the time Golden Horns was made, the makers were more interested in fashioning a good-natured romp. It’s very simple story is occasionally hampered by Row’s chaotic, stream of consciousness direction, yet enough lyricism remains to make this a winning fable and the handmade special effects display great ingenuity and charm.
Shot like a live action cartoon with lustrous colours and camera trickery that mimics the cel animated wonderlands of Walt Disney or Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising. Zany stop-frame sight gags and an abundance of bunnies, squirrels and lovable talking bears bolster the cartoon tone. Yet just like The Singing Ringing Tree (1957), Golden Horns has elements likely to scare the bejeezus out very young children. Which makes it all the more delicious. Freaky forest goblins and mushroom sprites cavort like punk rockers in a mosh pit frenzy. Ghastly living trees lunge at frightened youngsters. A nightmarish forest is haunted by weird colours straight out of Suspiria (1977).
But Row knows his audience and maintains a healthy balance of ghoulishness and gaiety. By the time Yevdokia’s animal friends set upon the bandit army or Kapitonych the friendly tree goblin leads hundreds of little goblin kids in a revolution, youngsters are likely to cheer along and possibly wish they could daub themselves in shrubbery and green paint and cavort through the forest. Watch out for that witch, though…
