Vino iz oduvanchikov (1997)
(Dandelion Wine)

For the information on this page, I am indebted to greenreed on the Ray Bradbury Message Board.

Production Credits Synopsis Review

Dandelion Wine

IThe novel first appeared in 1957.

Bradbury's play was published in 1988.

Production Credits

Screenplay: Igor Apasyan, from Bradbury novel

Directed by Igor Apasyan

Cast:
Colonel Freeleigh - Innokenti Smoktunovsky
Mrs. Auffmann - Liya Akhedzhakova
Douglas Spaulding - Andrei Novikov
Great Grandma - Lidiya Dranovskaya

Synopsis

One glorious summer in the life of Douglas Spaulding of green town. Or, as it says on the sleeve of the VHS tape:

"Summer heat. The garden is full of dandelions. They are gathered and turned into superb wine… A genius inventor makes the Happiness Machine... An experienced colonel transfers boys to a mysterious world or just travels in a Time Machine in his memory. Three summer months, three stories by the greatest science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury are made into the movie with greatest fidelity and civility."

Review

The following information was provided by greenreed, a Russian contributor to the Ray Bradbury Message Board:

This Russian adaptation of Dandelion Wine was produced as a TV mini-series, and subsequently edited into a feature film. It garnered several awards:

• "Wisest" film, Children's Film Festival, Artek, 1999
• "Film I would take with me into space" Children’s Film Festival, Summer Camp, 1999
• Special award (Zolotaya ladya), Film Festival, Vyborg, 2000
• Best Television Film, Television Festival (Eurasian TV Forum), Moscow, 2000

The director is Igor Apasyan. It took him seven years to make this work. Famous Russian and Ukrainian actors participated in the shooting.

This film was the last for Innokenti Smoktunovsky (Colonel Freeleigh), legendary Russian actor. He had died before the movie was released.

It was planned to create a panegyric in defence of childhood, hymn of humaneness, kindness, love and kind-heartedness. This dream was realized by the appearance of grandmother and young characters of the film.

Lidiya Dranovskaya (Miss Bentley) is said to be the Russian Audrey Hepburn. She plays her character’s death with inconceivable power, her talent is shown through with saturated colors and subtle shades. Well, to my mind the movie is pretty good but can be a bit ponderous. It’s impossible to make a screen version equal to the book. Some episodes seemed to me magnificent. I think they are made in the best way. It’s worth watching!