422 - THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE
(USA title; 10/16/1959; USSR/Finland; NR; 69m)

a.k.a. SAMPO (original/USSR)

Shown with Short: 422S-Here Comes the Circus

Ad: "Chilling Terror!"

Plot: An evil witch enslaves people to make Sampo, kidnaps Princess Annakie, and steals the Sun.

Prod: Risto Orko (Vieras Mies)
Prod/USA: Julius Strandberg
Dir: Aleksandr Ptushko*
Asst Dir: Holger Harrivirta, B. Evgenev and A. Vanitshkin
Dir/USA: Gregg Sebelious
Scr: Viktor Vitkovich (Vkus Khalvy)
Scr: Grigoriy Yagdfeld (Rusalochka)
Finnish Dialogue Ed: Vaino Kaukonen
Sto/USA: Elias Lenrot
Cin: Gennadi Tsekaviy (Sudba)
Cin: Viktor Yakushev (Sudba)
Ed: I. Rostovtsev
SFX: Aleksei Renkov (617-The Sword and the Dragon)
SFX: L. Dovgvillo and Gerome Langstrom
SFX ADir: Z. Moryakova (Boris Godunov)
Cos: Ritva Karpio
Cos: Elgrid Mannson
M/U: Sharon Copler a.k.a. M. Rozhkov
PMgr: G. Kusnetsov and A. Stefanskij
ADir: Bart Donner a.k.a. Lev Milchin (pdes/Chelovek Niotkuda)
Set: Aleksandr Makarov (pdes/Dnevnye Zyvozdy)
Sound: Mariya Blyakhina (Propalo Leto)
Choir Leader: Martii Turunen (Rengasmatka)
Conductor: S. Sakharov (617)
Score: a.k.a. Igor Morozov (617)

Lemminkainen / Andris Oshin
Lemminkainen's voice / John Powers
Annikki / Eve Kivi (Vallatud Kurvid)
Annikki's voice / Nina Anderson
Vainamoinen / Urho Somersalmi (Risti Ja Liekki)
Loukhy the Witch / Anna Orochko (Alye Parusa)
Loukhy the Witch's voice / Ingrid Elhardt
Ilmarinen / Ivan Voronov (Ekipazh)
Ilmarinen's voice / Peter Sorenson
Lem's mother / Ada Voytsik (Kolybelnaya)
sorcerer / Georgiy Millyar (813-Jack Frost; Magic Weaver)
soothsayer / Mark Troyanovski (505-Magic Voyage of Sinbad)
narrator / Marvin Miller (210-King Dinosaur; 902-Phantom Planet)
with Valentin Bryleyev (813; The Magic Weaver)
Anatoli Barantsev (Belyj Bim, Chyornoye Ukho)
Lennart Laurmaa (Naisenkuvia)
Aleksandr Macheret (dir/Concentration Camp)
Viktor Uralsky (Rodnik)
D. Karpova (Kholodnoye leto Pyatdesyat Tretyego)
V. Boriskin
E. Hippelainen
N. Kollen
A. Lenskaya
P. Modnikov (Sestry)
T. Rompainen
Palvo Nurman
Elgin Tanner

Trivia: THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE was based on the Kalevala (The Songs of Kaleva), the national epic of Finland, compiled from a large number of folk songs and published in 1849.

Russian director ALEKSANDR PTUSHKO was involved in film-making since 1927. In 1935, his first film The New Gulliver was released; it was the first movie done completely with stop-motion animation. His 1946 film The Stone Flower won Best Color Film at the film festival in Cannes, France. In addition to THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE (originally SAMPO), two other of his films have been MSTed: 505-THE MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD (originally SADKO, which won the Silver Lion Award at the 1953 Venice Film Festival); and 617-THE SWORD AND THE DRAGON (originally ILYA MOUROMETZ). Those three MSTed films are a rare exception: big budget, great cinematography, and beautifully made. Too bad some of their luster was dimmed by the hasty script and dubbing of their importing American producers.

Last Updated: 6/23/1999