Aleksandr Ptushko – Ruslan and Ludmila (Ruslan i Lyudmila)
This event took place Aug 2 - Aug 4, 2024
$14 General Admission
$10 Student/Child/Senior
$7 NWFF Member
Aleksandr Ptushko
Soviet Union
1972
2h 30m
Series -
Aleksandr Ptushko from 1956-1972
About
(Aleksandr Ptushko, Soviet Union, 1972, 150 min, in Russian with English subtitles)
The final film from Russian fantasy master Aleksandr Ptushko, Ruslan and Ludmila was a glorious and magical summation of his career: a two-and-a-half-hour greatest hits package filled with the sweeping lyricism, bejeweled visual effects and mythic storytelling that put him on par with Walt Disney, Ray Harryhausen and Mario Bava.
Based on an epic fairy tale written in 1820 by Alexander Pushkin (Ptushko had previously adapted Pushkin’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and half-jokingly said they were related), the film opens with the seemingly joyous marriage of bogatyr (warrior) Ruslan to Ludmila, the daughter of Prince Vladimir. (Like his earlier Ilya Muromets, the action of the film is set during the legendary era of the Kievan Rus’ culture that predated both modern Ukraine and Russia.)
On their wedding night, Ludmila is spirited away by the long-bearded wizard Chernomor, and taken to his sinister palace where she’s held prisoner. On their epic quest to rescue her, Ruslan and his three rivals encounter some of Ptushko’s most unforgettable imagery: a giant’s monstrous, decapitated head slumbering on an open plain, magic rings and stone warriors, sorcery and sacrifice, all in the hope of reuniting lost lovers.
Newly restored by Mosfilm for release by Deaf Crocodile and Seagull Films. Synopsis and stills courtesy of Deaf Crocodile.
Click for Accessibility Info
Ticketing, concessions, cinemas, restrooms, and our public edit lab are located on Northwest Film Forum’s ground floor, which is wheelchair accessible. All doors in Northwest Film Forum are non-motorized, and may require staff assistance to open. Our upstairs workshop room is not wheelchair accessible.
The majority of seats in our main cinema are 21″ wide from armrest to armrest; some seats are 19″ wide. We are working on creating the option of removable armrests!
We have a limited number of assistive listening devices available for programs hosted in our larger theater, Cinema 1. These devices are maintained by the Technical Director, and can be requested at the ticketing and concessions counter. Also available at the front desk is a Sensory Kit you can borrow, which includes a Communication Card, noise-reducing headphones, and fidget toys.
The Forum does NOT have assistive devices for the visually impaired, and is not (yet) a scent-free venue. Our commitment to increasing access for our audiences is ongoing, and we welcome all public input on the subject!
If you have additional specific questions about accessibility at our venue, please contact our Patron Services Manager at suji@nwfilmforum.org. Our phone number (206-329-2629) is voicemail-only, but we check it often.
Made possible due to a grant from Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Sensory Access, our Sensory Access document presents a visual and descriptive walk-through of the NWFF space. View it in advance of attending an in-person event at bit.ly/nwffsocialnarrativepdf, in order to prepare yourself for the experience.
⚠️ COVID-19 Policies ⚠️
NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them. We are not currently checking vaccination cards. Recent variants of COVID-19 readily infect and spread between individuals regardless of vaccination status.
Read more about NWFF’s policies regarding cleaning, masks, and capacity limitations here.
