Sampo [Blu-ray]

Sampo Blu-ray arrives in its original Finnish-language version, newly restored in 4K and presented for the first time in the United States as it was meant to be seen. Based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, Sampo Blu-ray stands as one of the most imaginative and visually ravishing achievements of Soviet-era fantasy cinema.

Directed by visionary fantasist Aleksandr Ptushko, Sampo tells the story of the sinister witch Louhi (Anna Orochko), who covets the Sampo — a magical, rainbow-hued mill capable of producing endless salt, grain, and gold. When the hero Lemminkäinen (Andris Osins) attempts to stop her, Louhi steals the sun itself, plunging the world into eternal darkness.

A Finnish–Soviet co-production shot in glorious CinemaScope, Sampo is filled with some of Ptushko’s most surreal and dreamlike imagery: a glowing red horse plowing a field of vipers, a boat of fire crowned with a stag’s head, and a mother who walks across the sea in search of her lost son. Witch’s incantations, elemental forges, raging seas, and rock-strewn landscapes give the film an almost Shakespearean occult intensity.

Previously released in the U.S. in a heavily edited, dubbed version as The Day the Earth Froze — later lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000 — this release restores Sampo to its original form. Deaf Crocodile presents the globally definitive version, newly restored in 4K by KAVI, the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute.

directed by: aleksandr ptushko
starring: andris osins, anna orochko, urho somersalmi
1959 / 91 min

Language: Finnish
Audio: 5.1 surround
Discs: 1