History Film / Sadko

A Russian-to-English film that centers on the Russian hero Sadko and his attempts to bring happiness to the inhabitants of Novgorod (called Copasand in the English dub), employing a number of elements from the original Sadko mythos, such as a wager with wealthy merchants to catch a golden fish from the sea.

Sadko, aka Sinbad, arrives in his home city Novgorod/Copasand to find a vast social gap between the wealthy merchants of the city and the lower-class citizens. In an attempt to even the playing field and bring happiness to the people, Sinbadko makes a bet with the merchants that, if he can catch a golden fish from the sea, they will give him the keys to their storehouses. He catches his fish with the help of MagicalGirl Morgyana, the Daughter Of Neptune, gets the merchants' loot, and promptly gives it all away. In the midst of all this, Sinbadko develops (mostly offscreen) a relationship with a Scandarabian girl by the name of Luberia.

However, the party comes to a quick stop once the money is all gone. And so Sinbadko endeavors to search the world for a so-called "Bluebird Of Happiness" which will bring permanent joy to his people. All out of money, he needs help again from Morgyana, but with a fresh catch of golden fish he is soon able to build boats and hire a loyal crew, and they're off on a series of episodish mini-adventures.

The quest eventually brings them to India, where a Jamie Farr-ish prince holds in his possession a reputedly magical bird. Prince Farr challenges our heroes to a game of chess with the bird as a prize, and [[BoringInvincibleHero naturally Sinbadko wins]]. But the prince is a sore loser and locks them all inside the vault with the bird. The bird, for its part, is not a "BluebirdOfHappiness" but rather a "Phoenix Of Ennui" (or something) which sings only of sleep with [[BrownNote a remarkably hypnotic voice]]. Sinbadko is disappointed but takes the bird with him anyway, using its hypnotic song to escape the Indian armies.

* IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Sea goddess Morgyana is in love with Sinbadko, but allows him return to the surface world and Luberia.

* McGuffin: The Bluebird Of Happiness. Sinbadko and his crew never actually find it (concluding instead that their real happiness was back home in Novgorod/Copasand), but their search for it is what drives the plot of the film.

* StupidSacrifice: Sinbadko jumps overboard during a storm to appease Neptune, so that his crew will be spared. They're not; but it's ultimately subverted, see DisneyDeath.

The original Russian version was directed by Alexander Ptushko, whose other credits include ''Film/IlyaMuromets'' (AKA ''The Sword and the Dragon'') and ''Sampo'' (AKA ''Film/TheDayTheEarthFroze''). Creator/FrancisFordCoppola was involved in the English adaptation of the script for RogerCorman.

The original Russian version was directed by Alexander Ptushko, whose other credits include ''Film/IlyaMuromets'' (AKA ''The Sword and the Dragon'') and ''Sampo'' (AKA ''Film/TheDayTheEarthFroze''). Creator/FrancisFordCoppola was involved in the English adaptation of the script.

A Russian-to-English film that centers on the Russian hero Sadko and his attempts to bring happiness to the inhabitants of Novgorod (called Copasand in the English dub), employing a number of elements from the original Sadko mythos, such as a wager with wealthy merchants to catch a golden fish from the sea. Trivia/{{Sadko}}

A Russian-to-English film that centers on the Russian hero Sadko and his attempts to bring happiness to the inhabitants of Novgorod (called Copasand in the English dub), employing a number of elements from the original Sadko mythos, such as a wager with wealthy merchants to catch a golden fish from the sea.

* HeAlsoDid: The writer of the English script was none other than ''Francis Ford Coppola''.

Creator/FrancisFordCoppola was involved in the English adaptation of the script.

FrancisFordCoppola was involved in the English adaptation of the script.

* TheBigGuy, who is something of a GentleGiant.

* [[{{Bowdlerise}} Bowdlerisation]]: It can be argued that the DubNameChange was made so that American audiences of TheFifties wouldn't have to watch [[GloriousMotherRussia a Russian movie with a Russian hero]].
* BrownNote: the Phoenix's hypnotic song.
* CrossoverCosmology: the American dub gives us the "Arabian" hero Sinbad, meeting up with Roman sea god Neptune.

* IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Sea goddess Morgyana is in love with Sinbadko, but allows him return to the surface world and Luberia.
* MagicalGirl: Morgyana, the daughter of Neptune the Sea God.
* McGuffin: The Bluebird Of Happiness

* TagalongKid

* ShallowLoveInterest: Luberia

The quest eventually brings them to India, where a Jamie Farr-ish prince holds in his possession a reputedly magical bird. Prince Farr challenges our heroes to a game of chess with the bird as a prize, and [[BoringInvincibleHero naturally Sinbadko wins]]. But the prince is a sore loser and locks them all inside the vault with the bird. The bird, for its part, is not a "Bluebird Of Happiness" but rather a "Phoenix Of Ennui" (or something) which sings only of sleep with [[BrownNote a remarkably hypnotic voice]]. Sinbadko is disappointed but takes the bird with him anyway, using its hypnotic song to escape the Indian armies.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The film is a subtle attack on capitalism and religion. Well, not so subtle.

* TagalongKid

For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode see ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S0505TheMagicVoyageOfSinbad here]]''.

Another Russian-to-English film featured on ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' (under the title ''The Magic Voyage Of Sinbad''), this one centers on the Russian hero Sadko and his attempts to bring happiness to the inhabitants of Novgorod (called Copasand in the English dub), employing a number of elements from the original Sadko mythos, such as a wager with wealthy merchants to catch a golden fish from the sea.

Among other things, the [=MST3k=] crew lampshaded the fact that the allegedly Middle Eastern (in the English dub) characters all looked suspiciously European:

-->'''Servo:''' You know, guys, this doesn't seem like Persia, and that's probably not even Sinbad!\\
'''Joel:''' Does anyone see anything even ''remotely'' Arabian? ...I never knew Arabia was so Russian!\\
'''Crow:''' Well, maybe this was a Finnish movie called ''The Magic Voyage Of Torval''!

(In the [[RunningGag various host segments]], everyone takes a turn being the one to point out "He's ''not'' Sinbad!", [[TheCassandra only to be ignored by everyone else]].)

It might also be noteworthy that FrancisFordCoppola was involved in the adaptation of the script.

* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: InUniverse example. Redistributing wealth with no real plan ultimately destroys the town's economy and achieves nothing, although they seem to recover remarkably quickly. Mercilessly mocked by the MST3K crew.

--> "Sounds like {{God}} picked up some extra bucks doing voiceovers!"

* TagalongKid

!!The [=MST3k=] treatment provides examples of:
* NightmareFuel: InUniverse, the [[HandPuppet Channel Cat]] to Tom and Crow.
* AwardSnub: Invoked: "Best performance by a red, gumball-machine-looking robot in a funny situation". And the award goes to... Crow.
* CallBack: MrBNatural Practice. You probably don't want to know.
** [[{{Tormented}} Tom Stewart killed me!]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: The first Aleksandr Ptushko film riffed on by the crew, ''Sampo'', aka ''TheDayTheEarthFroze,'' was based on Finnish legends. The writers seem to have decided that all of Ptushko's other settings and characters were Finnish too, frequently referring to Finland in riffs, and treating Finland and Russia as basically interchangeable.
** More "reliable resources were much harder to come by" back when the episode was made. As with many films dubbed into English for purposes of kiddie matinee showings, tracking down info on the background of these films proved notoriously elusive for a cowtown puppet show in the early 90s.
** Watching the DVD release, Finland is only mentioned a couple of times in passing, while Russia is referenced ''constantly''.
* IfYouDieICallYourStuff: "If you're gonna die out there in the cold void of space, can I have that Toblerone you've been hiding under your bed?"
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg
* TheQuest: Crow, inspired by the film, goes off on one of these. He doesn't get very far.

* YouFailEconomicsForever: InUniverse example. Redistributing wealth with no real plan ultimately destroys the town's economy and achieves nothing, although they seem to recover remarkably quickly. Mercilessly mocked by the MST3K crew.
* TheBigGuy, who is something of a GentleGiant.
* BoringInvincibleHero: Even if Sinbadko has to have the help of a sea goddess.

* DubNameChange: Sadko to Sinbad
* ForTheEvulz: the Vikings/Mongols: "Happiness is to kill our foes!"

* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: the Aesop.

* McGuffin: the Bluebird Of Happiness
* {{Narrator}}: "Sounds like {{God}} picked up some extra bucks doing voiceovers!"
* NotableOriginalMusic: Quite a lot of it, in fact. The score for the film was actually composed by Rimsky-Korsakov.

* {{Americanitis}}/[[{{Bowdlerise}} Bowdlerisation]]: It can be argued that the DubNameChange was made so that American audiences of TheFifties wouldn't have to watch [[GloriousMotherRussia a Russian movie with a Russian hero]].

* {{Americanitis}}/[[{{Bowdlerise}} Bowdlerisation]]: It can be argued that the DubNameChange was made so that American audiences of TheFifties wouldn't have to watch [[GloriousMotherRussia a]] ''[[GloriousMotherRussia Russian]]'' [[GloriousMotherRussia movie with a]] ''[[GloriousMotherRussia Russian]]'' [[GloriousMotherRussia hero]].

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: the song Sinbadko plays for Lord Neptune in his undersea kingdom.
** Really, the entire 'undersea kingdom' portion of the film could qualify.

* HilariousInHindsight: Sadko's name was changed to Sinbad to cover up the fact that the film was a Soviet production based on Russian legends. Trying to paste Middle Eastern names and culture over it made it ostensibly ''more'' American-friendly in the Cold War era, when anything Russian was dangerously un-American.

* YouFailEconomicsForever: In-universe example. Redistributing wealth with no real plan ultimately destroys the town's economy and achieves nothing, although they seem to recover remarkably quickly. Mercilessly mocked by the MST3K crew.

* AwardSnub: "Best performance by a red, gumball-machine-looking robot in a funny situation". And the award goes to... Crow.

* NightmareFuel: The [[HandPuppet Channel Cat]] - for Tom and Crow, that is.

----

(Gypsy keeps repeating, "That's ''not'' Sinbad!", but no one pays attention to her.)

* AdaptationDecay: It's actually quite a visually impressive film for its era, but the English script and dubbing turn it into a WorldOfHam.

* {{Americanitis}}/[[{{Bowdlerise}} Bowdlerisation]]: It can be argued that the DubNameChange was made so that American audiences of TheFifties wouldn't have to watch a ''Russian'' movie with a ''Russian'' hero.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: The first Aleksandr Ptushko film riffed on by the crew, ''Sampo'', aka ''The Day The Earth Froze,'' was based on Finnish legends. The writers seem to have decided that all of Ptushko's other settings and characters were Finnish too, frequently referring to Finland in riffs, and treating Finland and Russia as basically interchangeable.