Scarlet Sails: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Soviet Union, 1961
Director: Aleksandr Ptushko
Writers: Alexandr Yurovsky, Semyon Nagorny
Cast: Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Vasily Lanovoy, Yelena Cheremshanova, Aleksandr Lupenko, Ivan Pereverzev, Nikolay Volkov, Sergei Romodanov, Oleg Anofriyev, Zoya Fyodorova, Pavel Massalsky, Grigory Shpigel

Release Date: December 15th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 59 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Russian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Adapted from the novel by famed Russian author Alexander Grin, the film follows two parallel stories: the first about Assol, daughter of an impoverished sailor (Ivan Pereverzev from SADKO and NEBO ZOVYOT). As a young girl, an old storyteller predicts her destiny: "One day the sun will shine upon a white ship with scarlet sails. The white ship will slice through the waves and move right towards you." This shimmering dream sustains her into adulthood when she's played by the luminous Anastasiya Vertinskaya (WAR & PEACE, THE AMPHIBIAN MAN). The second story revolves around Arthur, the rebellious son of an aristocrat, who only dreams of shipwrecks, pirates and going off to sea" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 4K restoration from the original 35mm picture and sound elements by Mosfilm."

Scarlet Sails comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.5 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB

The source is in excellent shape; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Russian with removable English subtitles. The track sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay by film historian Celeste de la Cabra titled Scarlet Sails: Man-Made Miracles and Godless Fairy Tales (10 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video conversation with Eisner Award-winning comics artist, film historian, and author Stephen R. Bissette and film critic and author Tim Lucas (59 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with author and film historian Rich Johnson, and a 48-page booklet with an essay titled Scarlet Sails written by Peter Rollberg, an essay titled Scarlet Sails written by Walter Chaw, In Memoriam—Tony Stella, and information about the transfer.

Other extras are trailers for Ilya Muromets (3 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), Sampo (3 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Russian with non-removable English subtitles), The Tale of Tsar Saltan (2 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), and Ruslan and Ludmila (1 minute 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English).

Summary:

Scarlet Sails was directed by Aleksandr Ptushko, who's been referred to as the Soviet Ray Harryhausen because of his work in special effects, notably stop-motion animation. Notable films he directed are Ilya Muromets, Sampo, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and Ruslan and Ludmila.

The narrative revolves around a young girl named Assol, who’s raised by her longshoreman father after her mother dies. One day, Assol meets a sorcerer in the woods, who tells her when a ship with scarlet sails arrives, a noble prince will be onboard, and he will take her away. Running parallel with Assol’s story is about a young prince named Arthur, who rejects his family's wealth and has dreams of becoming a captain of a ship.

Although Scarlet Sails has fantasy elements, what unfolds is more reality-based than Aleksandr Ptushko's other films. Central to the story that unfolds is a miracle that brings Assol and Arthur together, while it bears all the hallmarks of a miracle: Scarlet Sails emphasizes the role we play in shaping our destinies. Besides destiny, another theme Scarlet Sails explores is individuality vs. conformity.

The opening setup does a phenomenal job setting the foundation for what unfolds. It opens with a scene where Assol’s father, a longshoreman, has returned home to discover that his wife has died. A neighbor explains what happened to Assol’s father’s wife through a flashback. The narrative remains consistently engaging, and one of its key strengths lies in its ability to balance the stories of Assol and Arthur.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles. The production design is exemplary, and it does a superb job drawing you into the world being depicted. Visually, Scarlet Sails takes advantage of its scenic landscapes and is filled with many striking moments. Ultimately, Scarlet Sails is a well-crafted romantic fairy tale that examines the resilience of the human spirit.

Scarlet Sails gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer