“Dungeon of the Witches” is an unusual science fiction film made by countries that no longer exist (9 photos)

In 1989, the USSR was not going through the best of times. Perestroika ended, destroying everything but building nothing. Almost all sectors of the economy lay in ruins, and store shelves were empty. Despite this, the Dovzhenko Film Studio, together with Czechoslovakian filmmakers, was able to make the film. "Dungeon of the Witches" - a mixture of science fiction, fantasy and erotica, became a real event for movie lovers.





The film, shot in 1989 by two countries that are not currently on the map, became “our answer to Hollywood.” In the late 80s, the country was swept by the fashion for video salons. An avalanche of action films, science fiction and erotica fell on the heads of unspoiled Soviet citizens. We can say that “Dungeon of the Witches” was a frankly weak film, compared to the American “masterpieces”. But we should not forget that this was the “first pancake”, alas, which also became the last.



The author of the script for “Dungeon of the Witches” was the Soviet science fiction writer Kir Bulychev. Based on his works, the TV series “Guest from the Future”, the films “Through Hardships to the Stars”, “The Purple Ball” and the cartoon “The Secret of the Third Planet” have already been filmed. Unfortunately, Bulychev was, first and foremost, a children's writer. Therefore, the first Soviet fantasy turned out to be a little fairy-tale and frivolous.





The filmmakers boldly experimented and did not hesitate to borrow everything they liked from their Western colleagues. The influence of “Star Wars”, “Conan the Barbarian” and other film masterpieces is noticeable in the film. The storyline was reminiscent of the novel “It’s Hard to Be a God” by the Strugatsky brothers.

As befits Soviet films, “Dungeon of the Witches” had a moral. She warned against attempts to bring civilization to backward peoples, bypassing natural progress (hello to the building of socialism in Central Asia and the Caucasus). Distributing modern weapons to savages will never lead to anything good, no matter for what purpose it is done.



The cast of the film was great. The main role was played by Sergei Zhigunov, who was at the peak of his popularity after the mini-series “Midshipmen, Forward!” The main negative character was played by another sex symbol of perestroika cinema - Dmitry Pevtsov. The actor, who always played positive roles, managed to embody the image of the treacherous and vile leader of a wild tribe well.



The film also contains “old school” actors, such as Nikolai Karachentsov. Unfortunately, the actor simply did not have enough time to show his talent. His hero is episodic and there is very little of him in the script. The main female character was embodied on the screen by Marina Levtova - she played the daughter of the leader. There are even several erotic moments with the actress in the film.

We can say that with such a cast it will not be possible to make a frankly bad film. And so it happened. Although now “Dungeon of the Witches” regularly finds itself in the charts of the perestroika “cranberry”, for its time the film was not bad. It didn’t even hurt that it became the first full-length film in the work of director Yuri Morozov.



In the late 80s, filmmakers did not have the opportunity to travel abroad to film. And there was no need. All alien locations were easily found in Crimea - in its steppe and mountain zones. The costumes of the characters and the scenery are well made, although they are much inferior to foreign ones. The special effects in the film are limited to the work of the stuntmen, who once again did not disappoint. The action turned out to be spectacular, although rather naive.



The lack of budget is literally visible everywhere in The Witches Dungeon. First of all, this is striking because of the abundance of beautiful Crimean landscapes - this time could have been taken up with more interesting shots. The camerawork is also inferior to the American school, perhaps due to the capabilities of the equipment.



The film "Dungeon of the Witches" was controversial. A good plot, excellent cast and spectacular stunts contrasted with the weak technical part. But what’s most annoying about this film is the authors’ attempt to embrace the immensity - by seizing on different genres and imitating the recognized classics of science fiction.

But for 1989, “Dungeon of the Witches” was a real breakthrough and audiences received the film favorably, despite serious Hollywood competition. Now it’s worth watching, if only because it is an excellent example of post-perestroika cinema, with all its pros and cons.