Chelovek-Amfibiya (1962)

Directors:

Vladimir Chebotaryov
Gennadi Kazansky

Writers:

Aleksandr Belyaev (novel)
Akiba Golburt (writer)

Release Date:

1 March 1963 (Finland)

Genre:

Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

People living at the seashore town are frightened by reports about the unknown creature called "the sea devil." Nobody knows what it is...

Plot Keywords:

Capture | Mutant Human | Escape From Jail | Manhunt | Male Female Relationship

Cast

Vladimir Korenev	...	Ichtyandr Salvator
Anastasiya Vertinskaya	...	Gutiere Baltazar
Mikhail Kozakov	...	Pedro Zurita
A. Smiranin	...	Old Baltazar (as Anatoly Smiranin)
Nikolai Simonov	...	Prof. Salvator
Vladlen Davydov	...	Olsen, the reporter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
A. Antonyan
Anatoli Ivanov
Valeri Kudryashov
Nikolai Kuzmin		(as N. Kuzmin)
Mikhail Medvedev
Yuri Medvedev	...	Street vendor of fish
A. Nikritina
A. Orlik
A. Shaginyan
Georgi Tusuzov
Aleksandr Zakharov		(as A. Zakharov)

Also Known As:

Человек-Амфибия (Soviet Union: Russian title)
The Amphibian Man (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

USA:82 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Company:

Goskino

Quotes:

Gutiere Baltazar: [laughing] This must be love at first sight!
Ichtyandr Salvator: [simply] Is there any other kind of love?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Smiley Face (2007)

A very odd but charming movie.

'Amphibian Man' is one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. From the title, and the initial premise - poor fishman and their families are frightened by an unknown monster they nickname "the sea devil" - you might think you're in for a 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' style monster movie, but this movie is a completely different thing. What kind of "thing" it is exactly is difficult to summarize, because I can't honestly think of any other movie I've seen which is quite like it. Technically SF, but more of a fantasy romance in execution. It is a very unusual but charming movie. The "monster" turns out to be the son of a local benevolent scientist who has had shark gills transplanted into his body and has a secret underwater life. He falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a local fisherman who has been betrothed to an ambitious cad she doesn't love. It is a marriage borne of economic necessity. Pretty soon Amphibian Man and Ambitious Cad clash and our hero finds himself persecuted, and eventually kidnapped. I really enjoyed this film, it has quite a unique, eccentric feel to it and has some genuinely touching moments, and even a song or two. The production values are quite impressive for the era, the premise is interestingly handled, and the acting is generally above average. I was fortunate enough to watch the Russian print with English subtitles. I believe there are some badly dubbed versions of this movie around so try and avoid those if you can and see the original to fully appreciate this little gem.