A Very Old Story
Based on the famous fairytale "The Tinderbox" by Hans Christian Andersen. The main character of the film is a puppeteer who lives in a poor and gray world. He composes a fairy tale in which he himself, in the guise of a brave soldier, finds a flint and is helped by a kind wizard. The soldier falls in love with a spoiled, capricious princess who, as befits a princess, poses riddles to her numerous suitors. Her father, the king, is eager to see the soldier as her husband, as he believes the soldier has a great deal of gold. In the fairy tale, everything ends well, but in real life, not so much. "But life is not a fairy tale," his beloved girl says to him as she bids him farewell.
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📋 Film Details
| Original Title | Старая, старая сказка |
| Year | 1968 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Genre | Family, Fantasy |
| Director | Nadezhda Kosheverova |
| Runtime | 90 min. |
| Rating | TMDB: 6.2/10 (20 votes) |
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🎬 MovieFinder's Take
The direction is assured — the director controls pace and space with a sense of knowing why each scene belongs here.
Watches evenly. No lows, no revelations. But there's dignity in the craft — and it's present here.
A wide audience will appreciate it. Especially those who love the genre.
Director: Nadezhda Kosheverova
— MovieFinder Editorial
Best Watched
Viewing atmosphere: Evening with someone who likes to talk about cinema after. Good backdrop for a quiet evening.
🎭 Cast
Oleg Dal
Soldier / Puppet master
Marina Neyolova
Princess / innkeeper's daughter
Vladimir Etush
King / Innkeeper
Georgiy Vitsin
good wizard
Vera Titova
witch / davil's grandmother
Viktor Perevalov
Prince-chimney sweep
Georgiy Shtil
Eastern Prince
Anatoly Korolkevich
doorman
Georgi Georgiu
"thick"
Lev Lemke
"thin"
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