Sadko is based on an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which was based on a Russian epic tale of the same name. In the old Russian city of Novgorod, the merchants are feasting in a gorgeous palace and Sadko is bragging that he can bring to their land a sweet-voiced bird of happiness. They laugh at him, but he is offered help by the Ocean King's daughter, who is mesmerized by Sadko's singing and is in love with him. The hero is destined to visit many lands in his search of the bird. First shown in the USA in 1953 with English subtitles. This entry is for 1962 English-dub by Roger Corman's Filmgroup, which runs about 8 minutes shorter (removes much of the music) than the Russian original (see, Sadko, 1953)
The film was made on the basis of the literary version of events in the life of the famous Russian ethnographer, anthropologist, biologist and traveler who studied the indigenous population of South-East Asia, Australia and Oceania.
In the fall of 1920, when the Red Army fought on the outskirts of Novorossiysk, one of the best ships of the Russian fleet “Oryol” stood at the berths of the port. The ship's boatswain, the hiding communist Mikhail Gruzdev, convinced Captain Chistyakov to keep the Eagle and return it to the red flag. Soon the legendary ship aboard the White Guards pursued by the Red Army left Novorossiysk. History left no trace of the further fate of the "Eagle" and its crew. It was believed that Chistyakov handed over the ship to the White Guards, and they took him abroad. Many years later, the captain of the ship “Flounder” Mikhail Gruzdev, confident in Chistyakov’s uncompromising attitude, obtained permission - and set about searching for the missing ship.
When German knights invade Russia, Prince Alexander Nevsky must rally his people to resist the formidable force. After the Teutonic soldiers take over an eastern Russian city, Alexander stages his stand at Novgorod, where a major battle is fought on the ice of frozen Lake Chudskoe. While Alexander leads his outnumbered troops, two of their number, Vasili and Gavrilo, begin a contest of bravery to win the hand of a local maiden.
