Sampo

Aleksandr Ptushko’s ravishing, mystical fantasy tells the story of a sinister witch Louhi who covets the Sampo

Based on the Finnish national epic “Kalevala,” director Aleksandr Ptushko’s ravishing, mystical fantasy tells the story of a sinister witch Louhi (Anna Orochko) who covets the Sampo, a magical, rainbow-colored mill that can produce endless salt, grain, and gold. When the hero Lemminkäinen (Andris Oshin) attempts to stop her, Louhi steals the sun, plunging the world into eternal darkness. A Finnish/Soviet co-production and shot like its predecessor ILYA MUROMETS in gorgeous CinemaScope, SAMPO features some of Ptushko’s most surreal and fantastical imagery: a glowing red horse plowing a field of vipers; a boat of fire with a stag’s head; a weeping mother literally walking across the sea to find her lost son. With its witch’s incantations and repeated scenes of forging magical items – “Give me fire for the furnace from the nave of the sky!” – there is a Macbeth-like occult force to the film as well, underscored by the raging blue-gray seas and rock-strewn landscapes. Previously released in the U.S. in a dubbed, butchered version as THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE (and later mocked on MST3K), SAMPO has been beautifully restored in 4K by KAVI – the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute for its first-ever American release in its original Finnish-language version by Deaf Crocodile.

Bonus Materials
Newly restored in 4K Part 2 of pioneering Russian film scholar Alan Upchurch’s essay on Ptushko reprinted from ‘Video Watchdog’ magazine New commentary by comics artist (Swamp Thing) and film historian Stephen R. Bissette New hour-long video interview with Mike Nelson of ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ and Rifftrax, moderated by noted comics artist Bob Fingerman and Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile Original Finnish language trailer

Cast & Crew
Actors: Andris Osins as Lemminkäinen Anna Orochko as Louhi Urho Somersalmi as Väinämöinen
Director: Aleksandr Ptushko