Frosty (1965) User Reviews

Call me strange, but....

[mjomodels · 6/10 · 14 January 2005]

I saw this film when I was probably seven years old, a few years after it was released with English dubbed into it. I saw it in the theatre with my sister's Brownie troop, and I recall it as being fantastical in nature, but, as a child, I loved that sort of thing. I loved the living house with feet, the mushroom man (who reminded me of a character from Fantasia,) and the beautiful Nastenka. This is a Romeo and Juliet story with all of the details borrowed from the Brothers Grimm and Russian fairy tales. I am sure, if I saw this as an adult, it might seem rather disjointed, but as a kid, I loved it. I saw it again a few years after the theatre release, as a Sunday afternoon television movie, and enjoyed it just as much, as an older child. Perhaps kids today would be too sophisticated to enjoy it - but I enjoyed it enough to look it up on IMDb.

Why was this riffed?

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 16 July 2014]

Frost (1965) is a sweet, somewhat surreal and sometimes corny fairy tale flick from the 1960s. I found it rather lovely, even with the stiff and sub-par English dub. This film contains an old-fashioned innocence that just isn't fashionable in modern family fare, and that makes it all the more cruel when it's so mocked.

I love Mystery Science Theater 3000, but I don't think this was great riffing material. It's not bad in the least. There were a few moments you could chuckle at, but for the most part, it's adorable. The actors, sets, and costumes are all charming.

Any nasty comments directed toward this one just feel unwarranted.

Better than "Sleepless in Seattle"

[HSauer · 7/10 · 1 June 1999]

If this movie hadn't been selected for spoofing by MST3K it would probably net more respect than it does. It's a fairy tale of sorts, with lots of action and funny characters. To criticize it for lacking a "plot" and "characterization" is ludicrous, like condemning the Russian language for being incomprehensible to average Americans. It's more entertaining than most films. The MST3K episode of "Jack Frost" is funny also, and probably the only opportunity most people will have to see this exotic fantasia. It's worth the effort.

Some comments for those who can't dig in...

[Carbophos · 9 January 2002]

OK. I guess some explanation from native Russian, who enjoyed this movie as a kid (among millions) and still enjoys it, a required... :)))) First of all, some facts: - This movie is a really considered to be CLASSICS, believe it or not. And it has a lot of awards. That's why it was re-released on tape in USA. - There was NO computer effects available back in 1964. Comparing to fairy movies made worldwide at the same era, the FX is OK. - The plot may seem pretty strange, but hey, look at Alice In Wonderland for example: White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Caterpillar on a mushroom smoking something like pot, Mock-Turtle, a kingdom of playing cards, constant size changes, etc - all in one single tale. :))))))

Now back to the movie. There's two main lines in the plot. The first one is about a smart, handsome guy (Ivan), who was too egocentric so Mushroom Pixie just punished (cursed) him, turning him in half-bear. After the guy did repent he turned into a human again. The second one is a Cinderella-type story which I guess appears in all ethnic tales worldwide. So the plot is pretty clear - both heroes has to overcome the negative obstacles and then they get the reward, and get married.

Now about the `weird' stuff. It's all common to Russian fairy tales. Jack Frost usually plays to roles in a fairy tale - as an analog of Santa and also as an impersonation of a Winter itself. A kind of a pagan lesser god. (Pagan heritage is very strong in a Russian folk tales). The Witch - Baba Yaga also has some dualism in fairy tale. Sometimes she's just typical evil witch, sometimes just an unpredictable witch who can help the hero for some reasons.Oh, and a House On The Birds' Legs is her certain attribute.

Another important note - the entire movie has a grotesque aesthetics. First of all, it's in a Russian folk tradition, than it's a movie for kids, so all the villains just must be ugly and funny at the same time. Sorry, but politically correct tale will be just boring.

So for an average Russian kid it's just a very impressive funny movie with a lot of action. Where the Evil is punished and all the Good get a reward.

Beautiful and Charming

[Raven_Cain · 7/10 · 28 November 2013]

I like this movie and I'm American! There are no two ways about it. It's a well done children's movie. The characters are colorful, the sets magical, and the stories are timeless.

Even for being made in 1964 USSR, a place not exactly well known for its film industry, this film stands out as one of the great ones. Star Trek could have learned a thing or two about set design and creature effects from the makers of this film. It was clearly a labor of love.

For those of you mentioning the MST3K version, keep in mind that the English dub has some of the worst ADR acting I've ever heard. Give yourself a treat and re-watch this in the original Russian with the original actors and get English subtitles.

This film is easily as good as anything Disney was putting out at the time. Don't sell it short just because some TV robots told you to.

Really, it's not bad.

[Duzniak38 · 10/10 · 19 March 2006]

I've always found this one of the better movies to have been riffed in The Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Unlike a lot of the other movies featured, this film is actually pretty interesting. It's very surreal and fairy-tale like, but that's what makes this movie so enjoyable. It also shouldn't be taken so seriously, due to the fact that it is intended for children. But Morozko isn't bad at all. The acting was much better than any other MST3K movie is, although I found that sometimes they went over the top. Also, some of the special effects were really well done, while some others were a little dated and cheesier. The only main problem I found when watching this was the awful dubbing. Other than that this is a fine, surreal adventure.

Nothing but pure fun.

[mike g.-2 · 7/10 · 26 September 1999]

This movie was an absolute delight to watch. Sure it's unrealistic, but it's supposed to be. It's a children's fantasy. The characters like the wicked stepsister, the witch, and Frost himself were a riot to watch. And admit it, Nastika was such a cute and innocent heroine. Those doe eyes of hers just melted my heart. She's one of the few sympathetic heroines you'll find on an MST3K reshoot. And considering this movie was made in the 60's, the special effects were great, like Frost's no-horse sleigh. I say anybody who liked Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' will like this too, because one is just as much a fantasy as the other. And in case you haven't noticed, this movie won a prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1965. So that should tell you there's something good about 'Jack Frost.'

Bottom line is that it's fun to watch on it's own, and even more fun on MST3K. I give it 7 out of 10. And anyone who calls this the worst foreign movie ever has never seen France's 'My Man.' Now THAT was a BAD MOVIE!

about misunderstanding

[oukaimeden · 5/10 · 11 July 2008]

It's so much fun to read the comments of those who are not from Russia, 'cause they all go like: "it's bad because i didn't understand it". Of course you didn't, if you were raised on Spider-Man comics and Star Wars and believe that a great movie is where the good guy beats the bad one, there are no surprises here... It has nothing to do with either USSR or communists, it's just a fairy tale, folks, sorry to disappoint you. If you know such words from your history class it doesn't mean that you can put them whenever you think it's appropriate. I wonder if Americans know who's the author of "the Mermaid" and what the original book is about. If you read it, you'll be completely at a loss, people. And the reason that it is hard to rate it is that it's for kids, and they don't usually rate special effects or cinematography...If they simply believe the main characters and sympathize with them, if they cry and laugh with them - that's a 10.

This NOT A Bad Film!

[missmisfit-1 · 9/10 · 25 November 2012]

First off, I'm an American & I only know this movie from MST3K.

But that said, I think the film on its own is not a bad movie at all. Sure, it seems to be pure weirdsville from a modern, Western perspective but that's part of it's charm. This was based on old Russian lore & folktales and retains the odd & sometimes morbid elements of Old World folk & fairy tales.

True, this was shown on MST3K, which usually pokes fun at bad or ridiculous movies. However this is not a bad movie, just one that comes off a bit wacky to those not familiar with the conventions of old fantasy folk tales & mythology. It was nonetheless a hilarious episode but the movie itself is very enjoyable on its own.

It's a whimsical, magical story with lots of bright colors & plenty of humor (much of it hilariously slapstick). To outsiders, it has elements of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty with a healthy dose of Yuletide (in the Pre-Christian sense).

There are some seriously silly moments, too...This movie's take on Baba Yaga (The folkloric Eastern European cannibalistic old witch...dubbed the 'Hunchback Fairy' in the 'Jack Frost' version, which is pretty dorky) is a scream! I swear, she looks & reminds me so much of Witchie-poo from "H.R. Pufnstuf"...she's just so wacky! Her army of anthropomorphic trees are just as silly (and 'Pufnstuf'-like)...as is her house with bird legs (from the actual Baba Yaga folklore).

Of course, there's the "classic fairytale romance" involving an absolutely angelic young gal and an exuberant young man whom must overcome his proud, conceited, braggart ways. There's Morozko, "Mr. Jack Frost", himself. He is the embodiment of Winter as well as a sort of Santa Claus type figure. You have the nasty stepmother & stepsister and the kindly, but diminutive and totally spineless & kowtowed father. There's Baba Yaga & a bunch of goofy, gnome-like bandits. Then, there's Father Mushroom...whose a class all his own.

I think folks are hard on this movie. It's unusual but it's not "Gigli" or "Plan 9 From Outer Space" material. It's a strange (to modern & western perspective), whimsical bit of Old Worldliness. If you dig Old World folk tale stuff with magic, whimsy, comical cannibal witches, evil step-family members, Old Man Winter, bandits, a fairytale romance & a funny little mushroom guy, this flick is for you! Just enjoy a bit of culture, turn off your left-brain, grab some popcorn, relax & just enjoy the show.

And CHEEZE-LOUISE...If an American like myself can enjoy & appreciate it on its own merits (and not just because MST3K riffed it to hilarious effect), so can you. There's more to planet Earth than a certain 236 year old, 50 state country. C'mon! THINK BIG!

Difference of mentality

[describer · 7/10 · 3 October 2003]

Ok,this movie really shows the huge difference between russian and american mentality. Almost every russian boy's and girl's favourite childhood movie alongside with "Nu,pogodi" cartoons, is completely misunderstood by americans and western europeans.What does it mean?It means that the nation who does not have it's own folklore is unable to understand foreign folklore.Please,any american man who plan to visit ex-USSR in the future - don't say to anyone that you hate this movie, because you'll be probably beaten both by democratic and communist-oriented people.Yes, russian tales and people are evil.Or,perhaps you don't wish or just cant understand them.

better than "Baryshnya-Krestyanka"

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 30 September 2005]

"Morozko", as far as I could tell, was about a Geraldine Chaplin lookalike falling for a guy who looked like Robert Redford got left in the microwave too long. Throughout most of the movie, I was throwing out MST3K-style comments ("Baba Yaga's house was a bad real estate investment."). It turns out that "MST3K" did once show this movie, but I haven't seen that episode.

Anyway, "Morozko" was hokey, but watchable. An unwatchable movie that I've seen here in St. Petersburg was "Baryshnya-Krestyanka", supposedly based on something written by Alexander Pushkin; if you ask me, it was written by 10 monkeys working with 10 typewriters for 10 days. But anyway, "Morozko" is acceptable.

Not that bad at all, in fact quite charming

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 24 September 2013]

As a non-Soviet(British in fact) who loves fantasy and folk-tales and is studying Russian as part of her music degree, Morozko is a very charming and misunderstood film. Like Sadko, Sampo and Ilya Muromets(all three from Aleksandr Ptushko), it's a beautiful if flawed film that was bastardised by its American version, where the sense of wonder in the original version was not as effective and some aspects irritate. In some way it's easy to see why those outside Russia and the Soviet union and who saw the American version would dislike it, but for this viewer it is without a doubt one of the better films featured on MST3K. The original version is not without imperfections, the special effects are not that great, rather rushed and dated in look, and some of the acting is over-theatrical and annoyingly unsubtle(though still better than the dubbing in the American version). The photography is nicely done this said and the costumes and sets are colourful and quite wondrous, very fairy-tale/folk-tale-like in atmosphere. The music score sweeps and enchants with some eerie moments as well, in feel and sound it does a great job at sounding very authentic and nationalistic. The story has elements of Baba Yaga, Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel and Sleeping Beauty without blatantly ripping them off. Even with the elements of bizarre weirdness, though that shouldn't be a deterrent a fair few Russian folk-tales personally read or seen have that, but there is a real sense of charm and wonderment, while the humour is splendidly ironic. The characters are archetypes but are mostly engaging, Nastenka is pretty and adorable. In conclusion, a very nice and misunderstood film. But the Soviet vs. American war seen in the user reviews has got to stop, it is really unpleasant to read and a lot of the positive reviews who are bashing Nationalities are potentially offensive. It is very unfair to infer that Americans have bad taste as well(on the most part that's an untruth), it's not their fault that they most likely saw Morozko through MST3K and its dub, that in no way does justice to the original, and sadly a lot of those praising the film and being condescending to those outside of their nationality fail to realise that. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Pretty good actually

[adam-eastwick · 6/10 · 28 December 2005]

I just saw this on MST3K and I have to say that it is one of the better movies that they did. On the surface, it's a ridiculous film because there are so many things that people will not be familiar with. However, like most fairy tales it entertains and tries to get both a moral and a story across. I'm not familiar with the stories that this is based on, but it was easy enough for me to pick up on what was happening and follow along.

For 1964, the effects are fine. It makes a good attempt at a solid film and mostly succeeds. I was reminded of Cinderalla, Beauty and the Beast & Hansel and Gretel when watching different parts of the movie. Also while watching it, it reminded me a lot of the movie "March of the Wooden Soldiers" with Laurel and Hardy. A lot of the same over the top acting and fairy tale symbols are in both.

However, despite it being a good fairy tale movie, there is a lot to laugh at, if you are so inclined. Much of the acting is over the top, not to mention the terrible dubbing. There are a lot of things in here that you do a double take on and wonder where they come from. It would be fair to say that if you showed The Little Mermaid or Shark Tale to someone who had never seen anything like that, they wouldn't understand some of it too, so it's fair to get a few laughs out of it.

The best jokes that Mike and the bots made at the movie's expense were juxtaposing what was happening with film against modern day culture. There is plenty to be mined from cultural differences, although I don't think MST3K went too far with their riffing on the film. In general, it was one of the better films that they did since everyone involved in the production seemed to try their best

sweet traditional children's movie

[InpraiseofFolly · 5/10 · 13 November 2004]

It's a simplistic low budget movie intended to be viewed by children and so it's shouldn't be surprising if it's not up to an adult's standards.

Kids don't generally look for deep realistic plots nor do they care for exaggerations or less than stellar effects. What they truly want are imaginative tales and silly physical comedy and this movie provides on both.

It's really nothing special and it doesn't warrant any feuds over whom is lacking in culture and other such pretensions. Disliking this movie is not an attempt at belittling anyone's origins. It's just a matter of opinion.

WHAT???

[pagras · 16 January 2003]

People, I don't understand you. This movie is a very good fairy-tale and in my country it has become so popular that it runs on TV every year. Well, it usually runs on December 31rd, which indicates that people take it partly ironically, but the movie itself is a humorous caricature and I don't understand the arguements I see here. In fact, I couldn't imagine that MOROZKO could receive such bad reviews, if I didn't see it in my own eyes.

I don't know what they did of it in the United States, but I really don't think that the English version could get close to the original. It is simply unimaginable. On the other hand, it is true that the Czech dubbing of MOROZKO is excellent and it may overcome the Russian version.

In any case, if you don't know that Baba Yaga (a common inventary of Russian fairy-tales) lives in a house on the bird's legs (which every child in my country knows very well), then nobody can help you.

Don't be fooled

[jwiley-86292 · 7/10 · 27 November 2016]

First of all: This movie is called "Morozko." The title "Frosty" doesn't do it justice.

This deserves a much higher rating! I know the MST3K episode made it look dopey and lame. Don't get me wrong, I love that episode, but even with the crappy dubbed version, you could see the fabulous production values! As an American, let me vouch for Morozko along with its many Eastern European fans. It is so popular there that it airs on TV every Christmas and got a musical remake. It's as familiar to Russians as Lion King is to you or I.

I have one thing to say: Watch the film as it originally was, with just subtitles. You'll notice a funny thing: It's funny ON PURPOSE. Watching Morozko was like discovering the live-action Disney movies I loved as a kid all over again. I'm not usually one for fairy tales, but it's neat to get acquainted with figures of Russian folklore like Baba Yaga and. . . Morozko. Ivan and Nastenka are fun characters, too. So mix it up a little this holiday season. It's both something totally new and yet very nostalgic in mood for me. If you know nothing about Soviet cinema, there is a whole new world of wackiness out there.

Wonderful kids-movie. Stupid critics.

[elenoid · 9/10 · 7 January 2005]

I was quite surprised reading all those comments... I never thought people could be so incredibly ignorant...

This movie IS sweet & naive, but that's the point! The plot is full of Russian folklore elements which most of people here call "surrealism"... Every Russian kid knows about this "surreal" house on legs & Father Frost (which is analogical to santa, by the way). The plot is very simple & understandable, & the only circumstances that one can't understand the plot, is when one doesn't know Russian, or, on the other hand the most complicated plot he's ever seen is legally blonde...which is, of course a pity. I've watched this movie many times as a kid, & it's a sweet legend, recommended in case your kid is smart enough to understand a plot which is a bit more complex then porn movies.

I wonder how would those who criticized this film, comment on old Grimm's books, without seeing Disney's version, which is in most of the cases, far, very very far, from the original.

Also i would like to reply all those who complained about the lousy special effects- what did you expect? Matrix? The film was shot in '64! And for a '64 USSR kids movie it's great! So all of those who weren't smart enough for this movie should find out more about other cultures. The world is not just one big McDonald's. Thank god.

I gave it 9 out of 10. just for a better rating.

Crazy film, but quite fun to watch

[nothingsp · 6/10 · 11 December 2005]

This film might make a lot more sense if you're familiar with Russian folklore, but I think that would take some of the fun out of it. In the English dub, at least, the various events of the film are given little explanation (Ivan's argument with the house-on-feet, for instance,) leaving the viewer in a state of mixed bewilderment and amusement.

That said, the film is still very fun to watch, and viewers unconcerned about the whys of the plot, (kids, for example,) should enjoy it. The English dub is actually pretty well-done, and though a couple of the voice actors tend to go into melodramatic overdrive (Ivan as a bear is a hoot to listen to,) all the characters speak their lines pretty well. The effects seem a little cheap at times (the essentially-immobile tree monsters, for example,) but overall the film looks quite nice, and some of the sets are impressive for a kid's film from 1964 (Jack Frost's house looks pretty nice, especially inside.) So in conclusion, while the movie may be a bit incoherent at times, it'd be a good choice to sit down and watch with the kids.

Wow, So Much Tension....

[Calaboss · 3/10 · 8 May 2010]

It's amazing how much emotion this movie has caused on IMDb. Reading the reviews on this one reads more like a restart of the cold war.

MY FELLOW Americans, apparently our reviews of this film have stepped on the balls of a sort of Slovakian/Russian cultural icon. I don't think we'd get so rabid about it, but I guess we'd feel kinda the same way if they started bad-mouthing Dorothy and Toto in The Wizard of Oz. This movie is shown yearly on TV in some countries and I guess the fairy tales related in it go back centuries. It's fascinating too that those commenting from Slovakia/Russia/Czech Republic/etc. didn't really get on-line in significant numbers until about 2003, and even now their number of on-line users is only about 35%. Yet they've found IMDb, and particularly this movie, in vast numbers. In fact, I suspect some sort of voting/movie review campaign was involved with this. If you check the "Loved it" reviews (those reviewers that rated the movie 3.9 or above), you find they number 43 out of a total of 117 reviews (as of this writing). Of those 43 positive reviewers, 31 have reviewed only ONE movie; this one. A record, I believe. I smell a rat in that math. Frankly, they seem to view this as more of an attack on their culture and history than just some movie reviews from boneheads like me.

However, they did manage to write those reviews in English (if sometimes a bit strangled). Something I could NOT do in Russian on a Cyrillic keyboard at one of their movie sites. So I give them props for that.

TO OUR FOREIGN FRIENDS who love Morozko/Jack Frost, I apologize if some of the American reviews felt like we were stomping on your 'nads. I think that the translation to English probably left a lot to be desired, and I know that, in my own case anyway, Russian culture is not very familiar (I only learned a few years ago that while the entire western world was rocking out to the Beatles in the 1960's, they, and their music, were banned in the Soviet Union. We didn't even know music COULD be banned). But you need to remember, these are just movie reviews, not cultural attacks. Also, children, including teenagers, are allowed to comment on IMDb, and nobody knows what they might say, so ignore the odd review that doesn't make any sense.

That being said, I just didn't like this movie very much. Besides the cultural stuff that was lost on me, and likely translation problems (learning to sit on a shovel????), I just didn't think it was very good. That's not a cultural attack, it's an opinion on this movie. Americans have lots of kids movies too, both good and bad. Two examples are The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964). Both are wild, weird, children's stories. In fact, I would venture to say that Wizard of Oz is stranger even than Morozko, with trees, scarecrows, lions and robots that all talk, as well as witches and monkeys flying around. I found both TWoO and SCCtM very entertaining when I was young, but children are easily entertained. As an adult I still like Wizard of Oz, as it was a well made and well told story. But I found out that Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a piece of crap that is ONLY enjoyable by children. Americans give SCCtM a lower rating here on IMDb (2.3) than we give Morozko (2.6). But for those of you that rated this movie a 10, I'm afraid to find out what movies get a rating of 1.

So try not to take our movie reviews so personally. You seem to find them much more important than we do. They're opinions which can be easily disregarded.

There. I feel better because of my attempt at détente.

Do not try to understand...

[PierreIX · 10/10 · 5 November 2001]

All you people from the western hemisphere, please, do not waste your time trying to understand this fairly-tale. As I can read from the comments, the majority of you are not successful at all and it gives me the impression that the cultural difference is really too big for you to comprehend. If you do not understand, do not dispraise it. We also do not understand a big part of your culture but I do not hear anybody to say: "burn it all". Be tolerant and take it as a part of cultural heritage you do not have.

Oddly compelling Russian fairy tale

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 9 February 2017]

JACK FROST is another snowbound Russian fairy tale with an interesting, occasionally perplexing storyline to keep you intrigued throughout. The tale is about a pair of young lovers who have to contend with an evil old witch who decides to make their lives hell. The girl is mistreated by her family while the boy is assaulted by a mysterious mushroom-headed magician and turned into a human bear.

If that sounds all rather odd then it is, but in the best Russian tradition. I do like the atmosphere of these films and the sheer amount of effort having gone into the special effects and action sequences. The mystical, snow-covered landscape is very well realised here and subsequently the film has a strong visual look to it. Scenes of the characters being attacked by living trees and the titular character using magic to cover the land in snow are great fun, if you can overlook the inherent cheesiness and bad dubbing.

Lighten up....and can the American bashing

[paranoiaK-1 · 5/10 · 8 September 2006]

I like most younger Americans, saw this movie on MST3K. I understand most Eastern Europeans like this movie for its cultural significance. No one is doubting that. But i think most people in the US were only exposed to the Dubbed version. This is unfortunate, but English dubs were always horrid and unbearable. Just in the past 5 years has the dubbing in foreign films gotten a lot better. this is probably the reason most American film-fans didn't like or understand this film. And if you are offended by the MST3K-ing of this movie, you obviously don't understand the point of that show. I'm sure if they went back and made a proper dub of the movie, I'm sure that I, and other Americans would change our minds.

MST3K mocked Hamlet too, you know...

[wissywig · 8/10 · 28 September 2010]

First, as many of the folks who have reviewed this movie have seen it on Mystery Science Theater, I'd like to make an important point about the MST3K version of this film, and MST3K itself.

Like many other reviewers, I too saw this movie on MST3K. MST3K was a brilliant series, intelligent and well executed. Most of the movies that were featured on the show were films that would otherwise never have been watched by future generations. The fact that they were chosen for the express purpose of being mocked, unfortunately, has created a sort of conundrum for fans of the show, and the show itself.

What a lot of folks don't understand, I think, is that the people who worked on MST3K were movie fans, plain and simple. They were fans of cinema in general, bad AND good. Now, bad versus good is not a binary system; there is a certain quality of film that makes it "so bad it's good." Then, of course, there are the movies that are simply bad. However, the fact that a movie is inflicted on the residents of the Satellite of Love does not in and of itself make the movie a bad one of either variety. This is an issue that plagues many of the reviews on this site of movies featured on the show, and frankly, it bewilders me.

It seems that many MST3K fans or casual viewers are completely unable to separate their own perceptions and opinions of the movies featured there from the idea that, simply due to the fact that those movies were "mocked" by MST3K, they are "bad movies." While a good many reviewers are able to make this distinction, and form their own opinions about MST3K featured movies, for some reason the brilliance of this remarkable, beautifully shot Russian folk tale has completely evaded them too.

Quite a few of the movies shown on MST were foreign films, where certain cultural elements were sure to go over the heads of most Americans. But I don't think that is the case here. Americans are quite capable of watching movies that aren't CGI laden or "realistic" (I'm glad that some folks made reference to The Wizard of Oz when reviewing this movie, because that was the first thing that came to mind while watching it). I just think that many of them have formed blocks in their minds against this particular film for two reasons: One, as I said above, simply due to the fact that it was featured on MST; and two, to be perfectly frank, because it is a Russian production.

Americans have a peculiar relationship with Russia; many of us who grew up during the Cold War or during the Reagan years (a slightly warmer but no less tense version of the Cold War) were fed massive amounts of anti-Russian propaganda, taught using the spectre of nuclear holocaust to fear and hate. However, not all Americans have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by such doctrine; despite appearances, many of us are able to distinguish fact from fiction and look back through American history only to find it full of xenophobic hysteria covering many ethnicities and nationalities. We recognise that Russia was just another victim of this country's strange need to establish a political villain in the form of another country or ethnicity (see the Middle East).

This mentality is at least part of the reason why, I think, Jack Frost (Morozko) has resulted in such oddly scathing reviews. Despite its consistently beautiful photography, fascinating characters (all of whom, as in every single American (or Americanized) fairy/folk tale, are caricatures--the Handsome Prince, the Wicked Stepmother/Stepsister, The Fairy Godmother/Godfather, etc.), the reviewers of this movie seem unable to do two things: separate their own opinions from the fact that the film was featured on MST, and overcome their prejudices and recognise that, if nothing else, this movie proves that every culture has something in common with ours.

If this movie doesn't demonstrate that fact to you, I don't know what will. Look past the dubbing and the babushkas and you'll find an amalgam of tales that Americans have heard all their lives. Of course, the fact of the matter is that American literature has adapted these classic folk tales from other cultures and passed them off as our own. Nonetheless, these tales are staples of American culture. Morozko is many of those stories (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, among others) rolled into one fascinating movie. Personally I found this movie even more interesting than the American tales which ironically have borrowed from it so freely.

I've read reviews for almost every movie that MST3K ever featured, and see the same thing over and over again--so many reviewers refuse to view the movie on its own merits and instead allow the admittedly brilliant and hilarious comments of Joel/Mike & the bots to form their opinions for them. I've enjoyed many of the movies I've seen on MST on their own merits, and this is one of them. I just wish more MST3K fans would do as the very writers and producers of the show themselves did and allow themselves to love the very movies that they mock.

Everyone forgets the Russianness of this film.

[va3svd · 6/10 · 22 November 2002]

Let me start off by saying that I am a HUGE MST3K fan. Let me also say that I never saw their treatment of this film because I'm a Canadian and consequently don't get SCI-FI, and I haven't been able to do much tape trading for some of these episodes yet. I expect that it would be hilarious. Let me also say that I am studying Russian area studies in university, and actually watched the original Russian version.

Firstly, I thought its plot wove together many diverse aspects of Russian folk tales into one new tale. No such tale, of course, was ever compiled by Afanas'ev. However, the use of magic, ultimate triumph of good versus evil, etc. is all textbook Russian folk tales.

I was thrilled to see Baba Yaga and her house - not that her house wasn't really a guy in a suffocating house custom prancing around. It was - bad effects aside - exactly as I had pictured it. Roasting Baba Yaga after asking her how to be shoved properly into the oven was from another tale, I forget which one right now.

Anyhow, I thought that this film would have been excellent for Russian children even with the terrible special effects. There is pride in seeing your native culture display itself, and I thought that Morozko did an excellent job of representing Russian folklore tradition. (And no, MST3K fans, "Final Sacrifice" did not display my Canadian culture.)

Overall, for an individual who is informed about Russian culture, this would be laughable, but enjoyable. For someone who is not...yekh.

offensive

[portobellobelle · 1/10 · 21 May 2001]

I guess the reason I hate this film so much is that its target audience is kids and the message it seems to send to those kids is that "conventionally attractive people are good, conventionally unattractive people are incredibly evil." I know this is an old, old theme in fairy tales, but that doesn't make it any more problematic, and I've never seen a movie drive that theme home more consistently than this one!

It's a shame because the outdoor settings and indoor sets for this film are quite beautiful and memorable. But the content is awful.