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Soviet children’s film adaptations: Cipollino (1959–64)
- Source: Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, Volume 11, Issue Intersections between Italian and Slavic Cinemas, Jun 2023, p. 535 - 545
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- 21 Oct 2021
- 08 Apr 2022
- 07 Jun 2023
Abstract
This article investigates the reception of the Soviet film adaptations of Gianni Rodari’s Il romanzo di Cipollino (Tale of Cipollino) (1951), a book about the adventures of a clever and resourceful ‘little onion’ which was adapted to the screen several times in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR). In the first part of the article, the genesis of Rodari’s book is recounted along with the reasons for its popularity with children. Subsequently, the article outlines the history of the adaptations of Tale of Cipollino in the USSR, which were not limited to literary rewritings, but also saw Rodari’s work transposed onto films and a ballet. Lastly, the article presents an analysis of the Soviet film productions with Cipollino as the protagonist: the animated film Rovno v 3:15 (At 3:15 Sharp) (Dezhkin and Migunov 1959), a feature animation (Chipollino, Dezhkin 1961) and a filmstrip (Chipollino, Migunov 1964).