“I wasn’t afraid of looking ridiculous. Not everyone can afford this.”

“I wasn’t afraid of looking ridiculous. Not everyone can afford this.” - from Mark Zakharov’s the Very Same Munchhausen 

Tributes in loving memory of an incredible filmmaker who recently passed away, taking with him an entire world of theatrical fairy tales and witty satire. I grew up watching Mark Zakharov’s movies and revisiting them at different stages of my life to laugh, cry, and discover new meanings. The soviet director’s films are very dear to me both as stories that initiate conversations with the minds and hearts of their viewers and as a part of Russian culture that I’m always happy and excited to share with people. 

The movies I drew tributes for are respectively:

1 - Formula of Love (Формула любви, 1984) A young man falls in love with a statue and hires the magister of dark arts count Cagliostro to bring her to life. The funniest, most shitposty movie out of the bunch and a great introduction to Zakharov’s work. stream here

2 - The Very Same Munhhausen (Тот самый Мюнхгаузен 1980) Literally my favourite movie of all time, about a man who likes to live life differently, tell stories and make people laugh. available with subtitles on youtube: pt1 here,pt2 here

3- Ordinary Miracle (Обыкновенное чудо, 1978) In which a wizard turns a bear into a man, with the constraint that he will turn back when a princess falls in love with him and kisses him. available with subtitles on youtube: pt1 here,pt2 here

4- To Kill a Dragon (Убить дракона, 1989) A knight comes to a town to kill the dragon ruling over them. A fairytale-based reflection on dictatorship and a much darker and harder film to watch than the other three. available with subtitles on youtube here