Russian Fantastika Part One by Alan Upchurch.Remembering Russian Film Scholar Alan Upchurch by Dennis Bartok.Audio commentary track by Steve Bissette.EXCLUSIVE NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM.release in its original form by Deaf Crocodile, in association with Seagull Films. The film has been restored in 4K for its first-ever official U.S. at the height of the Cold War as THE SWORD & THE DRAGON, downplaying the epic poetry and lyricism of the original. The first Cinemascope film produced in the Soviet Union, ILYA MUROMETS was released in a truncated, dubbed version in the U.S.
Based on a series of famous byliny (oral epics), the film follows Ilya as he wages a decades-long battle against the Tugars who threaten his homeland, kidnap his wife and raise his own son to fight against him.ĭirector Ptushko began his career in the 1930s and went on to become a combination of Walt Disney, Ray Harryhausen and Mario Bava for his dazzling, bejeweled fantasies including THE STONE FLOWER, SADKO, SAMPO and RUSLAN & LUDMILA. The film stars Boris Andreyev as the bogatyr (warrior) Ilya, a mythic figure in the Kyivan Rus' culture that pre-dated both modern Ukraine and Russia (much of the film's action is set in Kyiv, and Ilya's relics are held today in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery). Label description: Legendary fantasy filmmaker Aleksandr Ptushko's sweeping, visual F/X-filled epic is one of his most enchanting achievements: a stunning Cinemascope ballad of heroic medieval knights, ruthless Tugar invaders, wind demons and three-headed fire-breathing dragons. They are: Ilya Muromets (1956), The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), Buster Keaton Rides Again / Helicopter Canada (1965-1966), The Films of Doris Wishman: The Twilight Years (1970-1977), Game of Survival (1985), Inspector Ike (2022), King Car (2021), The Little Hours (2017), No Resistance (1994), Passing Strangers & Forbidden Letters: Two Films By Arthur J. Max Rhyser plays a young schoolteacher who comes from a conservative Jewish family and community, but Chaser sees him attend a New York City sex party to escape his restrictive community.Pre-order NowVinegar Syndrome has revealed eleven upcoming partner label releases. Homophobia manifests from many different insecurities, but in Triple Standard, one athlete’s prejudice is a symptom of his own struggle to come to terms with his sexuality. Ben lusts after his bad boy classmate Johnny, but when he’s offered a ride home one night, what seems like a dreaming coming true descends into heartbreak.
It’s the age-old high school crush storyline.
Starring Broadchurch’s Chris Mason, Wonderkid focusses on a gay professional footballer who’s struggling with his sexuality in the high-pressured and masculine world of the Premiership League. But as is much the case in Tinseltown, he’s living a lie, and upon his return he attempts to rekindle a closeted relationship from his past. I AM SYD STONE (2014)ĭirected by Denis Theriault, this 10-minute visual follows a Hollywood hunk as he returns home. Gay Times have rounded up just five of the best gay short films out there that you can watch online. From tackling the homophobic world of football, to a teacher exploring the sex party scene in New York City, they are touching upon real life emotions that your local Odeon is probably little way off from showing anytime soon. While mainstream Hollywood continues to catch up when it comes to LGBTQ representation in blockbuster movies, there are plenty of directors out there highlighting issues within the gay community through slick visuals.įor now, some of the most compelling and hard-hitting LGBTQ cinema exists in short films.