jdancing_queen2004 I first saw "Skazka Stranstviy" in my early teens. Loved it but waited almost ten years to see it again. The film is brilliant, and invokes a lot of emotions and thoughts. Until I was adult it was too dark and too deep to comprehend and deal with. I definitely wouldn't recommend showing it to children. But for adults it's a must see. Every time I've seen it I've ended up crying through most of the film. Especially touching are the part where Orlando dies, and the end when Mai draws the diagram in the ruins. While dark and disturbing, the film provokes thoughts and emotions that modern films fail to touch. Like one reviewer mentioned it's a true classic fairytale. Not a Utopian fairytale we're used to in United states, but a true dark fantasy. The score is wonderful and adds on to the overall mood of the film. While the whole film is dark and gloomy, the end is very beautiful and hopeful.At the time I first saw it, I just became a sister. So for me, at the time the plot and the story were particularly real and threatening. I wouldn't let my baby brother out of my sight after seeing the film. I could understand what Martha was feeling when she lost her brother, and the end of the film provoked thoughts on what I would feel if my brother grew up to be an individual I wouldn't be proud of. Even with all the fantasy involved, the film is really easy to connect to.

avichi I have not much more to add to the reviews - this movie gets a 10 from me. This flight episode, together with Tarkovsky's flight episodes from "Andrei Rublev" (opening) and "Solaris" (closing) is IMHO the most moving and inspiring moment in film history.A small remark for the former Soviet citizens among you;-)Has anyone also felt some well-concealed allusions to the life behind the Iron Certain as much as I did in the episode with Don Quixote and the knights on top of the dragon? Just like in a "communist" system, for many it was actually quite warm and sweet while for some it was not quite as easy to get out as it was to get in (most likely the same could be said about a "capitalist" system too though). I think such allegories were quite common in Soviet movies and it is often a sport to find and interpret them.

sherri_bailey9 One reviewer said that you won't want to watch this film twice, because it is so dark. And she was right. Ironically, over the summers of '83-84, this movie was shown CONSTANTLY at my camp, which was located in New York for all Soviet kids. I guess because we had so few Soviet films in our library. And yes, the scene with the "chuma" -- plague -- I had to watch, through my fingers -- more than once. This movie was so horrifyingly scary for a child, so dark and unbelievable that I would have rather watched "Hellraiser" at that age. No joke. Yes, the special effects are silly, but they're beside the point. From the scene in which Marta's brother is kidnapped (absolutely chilling) to the journey through the dark plague-ridden land (really, beyond words) and many other scenes, the film never ever lets you off the hook. There are some light moments, but darkness is never far behind. The plot, however, makes sense, psychedelic as it is. It is like a fantasy realism. I haven't seen it in its entirety since I was a kid, and I wonder if I should just leave it that way...

Tatiana Manouk A good movie but certainly not suitable for children. Some episodes can give nightmares even to a grown-up. More of that, though "The Story of the Voyages" is sort of a magic tale, it has some complicated psychological themes in it that only an adult can comprehend. It's a weird movie to say the least, filled with strange images that seem to have come from a hallucination of some kind. But it's still very, very good. The acting in this movie is superb. Andrey Mironov playing Orlando is one of the best Soviet actors, that's all one needs to say. And Tatiana Aksiyuta is very touching and believable as Martha, the girl in search for her little brother. The atmosphere is dark, haunting and heartbreaking, filled with hope that shines through despair.I can think only of one movie that "The Story of the Voyages" resembles me: "The Labyrinth" with David Bowie. They are alike in some ways, I think. Probably because of the dark and bizarre atmosphere and psychological implication. But "The Story of the Voyages" is much, much more grim and dark. This movie is unique, so it's worth watching at least for that. Though you probably wouldn't want to re-watch it for a long time after.