The film “Wizards” is a sparkling Soviet New Year’s fairy tale that has been bringing holiday cheer to viewers for over 40 years. It’s a musical comedy about love, treachery, and real magic, which is created not only by sorcery but also by the power of the heart.
Here are the key facts about this beloved film, cherished by millions:
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About the film: A musical New Year’s film fairy tale that premiered on December 31, 1982.
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Screenplay: Written by the Strugatsky brothers. Initially, they wrote the script based on their novel Monday Begins on Saturday, but at the director’s request, it was completely reworked into an independent story, using only the names of some characters.
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Director: Konstantin Bromberg.
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Cast: Alexander Abdulov, Alexandra Yakovleva, Valentin Gaft, Ekaterina Vasilyeva, Semyon Farada, Mikhail Svetin, and others.
Plot: Love Under the Curse of the “Winter Heart”
The story takes place on New Year’s Eve in the fictional city of Kitezhgrad, home to the NUINU — the Scientific Universal Institute of Extraordinary Services.
A young musician, Ivan Pukhov (Alexander Abdulov), is about to marry the beautiful Alyona (Alexandra Yakovleva), who works at the institute. However, the deputy director, Apollo Sataneev (Valentin Gaft), has his own plans for the girl and decides to ruin their happiness through intrigue. Sataneev convinces the institute’s director, Kira Shemakhanskaya (Ekaterina Vasilyeva), that Alyona is planning to steal her beloved, Ivan Kivrin.
Blinded by jealousy, Shemakhanskaya casts the “winter heart” spell on Alyona. The girl forgets her fiancé and turns into a calculating and cold careerist. The curse can only be broken by a kiss from her true love before the chiming of the clock. Alyona’s loyal friends — the wizards Kovrov and Bryl — urgently summon Ivan to Kitezhgrad. He must not only sneak into the institute but also make his beloved’s cold heart remember love before the clock strikes twelve.
Interesting Facts from the Filming
The film’s creation is full of unexpected twists and coincidences:
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Casting: The roles could have gone to completely different actors. For instance, Igor Kostolevsky and Oleg Yankovsky were considered for the role of Ivan Pukhov; Margarita Terekhova and Alisa Freindlich for the role of Shemakhanskaya; and Irina Alferova and Irina Muravyova for Alyona. Alexander Abdulov wasn’t approved immediately, and in the scene with the song “Three White Horses,” he was even substituted by a body double, as the actor was busy in the theater and could only film at night.
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Voices Behind the Scenes: Little Nina, Ivan’s sister, is voiced by the actress Svetlana Kharlap, and her famous song “Three White Horses” was performed by Larisa Dolina, whose voice timbre audiences mistook for a child’s for many years. The talking cat Vasily was voiced by the legendary Georgy Vitsin, but only two of his lines made it into the final version of the film: “Boor!” and “Hurrah!”
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Mysticism on Set: According to the recollections of the film crew, during night filming in Suzdal for the scene where Ivan walks through walls, a real UFO hovered over them. The object disappeared without ever being caught on camera.