Film Library
Legend of Princess Olha, 1983.  

Original title: Legenda o kniagine Olge
Copyright: the Oleksander Dovzhenko Film Studio, Kyiv, Ukraine, 1983
Format: feature narrative
Carrier: DVD
Color: color
Length: 128 min.
Original language:  Russian (the only film by Yuri Illienko that was made only in Russian language version under the pressure of Soviet authorities)
English subtitles: yes


Film crew
Director: Yurii Illienko
Script writer: Yurii Illienko
Director of photography: Vilen Kaliuta
Production designers: Vasyl Bezkorovainy and Valerii Sofronov
Original music: Yevhen Stankovych
Sound editor: Viktor Briunchuhin
Produced by the Oleksander Dovzhenko Film Studio, Kyiv, Ukraine.


Film cast:
Liudmyla Yefymenko as Princess Olha, Les Serdiuk as Prince Sviatoslav, Ivanko Ivanov as young Prince Volodymyr, Kostiantyn Stepankov as voivode Sveneld, Ivan Mykolaichuk as Prince Volodymyr the Fair Sun, Ivan Havryliuk as Rus, Dmytro Myrhorodsky as Aretha the Greek,  Mykola Olialin as clairvoyant Oleh, Svitlana Romashko as housekeeper Malusha,  Heorhii Moroziuk as courier Vivera, Oleksander Denysenko as Prince Ihor, Viktor Demertash as Prince Mal, Yuri Dubrovin as the Tree-Cloud Man, Mykhailo Holubovych as the dumb groom,  Leonid Obolensky as the warlock, Oleksander Zahrebelny as the bard-warrior, Ivan Savkin as the voivode of Novgorod, Pylypok Illienko as Prince Sviatoslav in childhood.


Synopsis 
Inspired by chronicles and folk legends this is a story of a common girl Olha who married Prince Ihor and became his successor on the throne after his murder and one of the most remarkable political leaders in early medieval European history. She converted to Christianity and brought her realm into Europe.
This film has been restored and digitally re-mastered as part of the 7-disk DVD gift set "Ukrainian Film Classics. Yuri Illienko," issued by the National Oleksander Dovzhenko Center in 2011.

Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia University© 2015. For more information please contact Yuri Shevchuk