The Little Mermaid
Rusalochka opens in modern day Copenhagen, Denmark. Several tourists gather around the capital's famous mermaid statue, as a tour guide explains its significance. A fish in the water below the tourists scoffs at their foolishness, and then, proceeds to tell about the doomed love of the mermaid. Upon reaching her 15th birthday, the Little Mermaid is allowed to swim up to the surface above. As soon as she does, however, the Mermaid spots a young prince caught up in a dreadful storm. She admires the man's bravery and decides to save him, declaring that, "The beautiful and the brave should not perish." After the mermaid returns to the ocean, she decides that she wants to become human.
Critics Sentiment
Mermaid refuses sisters' magic shell and chooses death
King presents convent woman as prince's intended bride
The film drops to its lowest point when the mermaid's hopes are crushed by the prince's engagement, then soars to its emotional peak with her ultimate sacrifice for love.
This Soviet adaptation earns consistent praise for its faithful rendering of Andersen's tragic tale, with reviewers particularly moved by the mermaid's sacrifice and the film's artistic innovation. The emotional climax of the mermaid choosing death over betrayal represents the film's highest achievement. Critics appreciated both the poetic visual style and the preservation of the story's melancholic essence.
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