Rusalochka is a 1976 retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale, "The Little Mermaid." The film, directed by Vladimir Bychkov, is a far cry from its Disney relative as this film seeks to recreate the haunting and tragic love of the sea nymph and her prince. A collaborative effort between the USSR and Bulgaria, Bychkov's film recounts the tale of a young mermaid who gives up her life in the sea to live on land with a dashing prince she rescued during a storm.
Instead of giving up her voice, the little mermaid in Rusalochka trades her fantastic blue hair for for a pair of legs. Though don't feel too bad for the little mermaid - instead of the blue hair, she gets flaxen locks that would make even the Lisbon sisters jealous. Viktoriya Novikova, who plays the little mermaid (or 'malkata rusalka', in Bulgarian) is perfect in the role - her angelic, ethereal beauty is matched only by her innocent, girlishly charming voice. Though the film is in a different language (Russian, but in most copies there is an English dub available), the warmth and love of Novikova's mermaid needs no translation - she makes the longing, the desires, and the unfailing hope of the little mermaid universal.
As the film was made in the seventies, there is a certain dreamy, soft quality to the way that the film was photographed - which makes it all the more lovely to watch. I absolutely adore the costumes that Novikova wears throughout the film - though set in the Middle Ages, the mermaid's dresses are pieces that I would love to wear today.
Title: from "Mermaids" (Xandria)