While this film doesn't look as impressive today as it once did, you have to remember that it debuted here in 1956, when the big "epic" movie was DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," and this film has several things in common with it. This was a very, VERY big picture for 1956 Russia, and while technically there's no comparison with DeMille's picture, it has a kind of charming innocence that DeMille's definitely does not. The dated, over-the-top acting styles are common to both pictures, and while it sort of works for the Russian picture, it really doesn't for "Commandments," and was the one thing that always annoyed me about that picture (and pretty much all of DeMille's talkies, for that matter). I enjoyed the villains much more in "Sword and the Dragon," and the human pyramid scene is still astounding, as is the scene near the end where the Russian spearmen pincushion the Mongol chief and raise him, screaming and still impaled on their spears, above their heads; it was quite gruesome for 1956, and is still remembered by people who haven't seen the film for 20 years or more. Granted, some of the film is laughable--the simpering, pigtailed blonde girlfriend is a bit much--and some of the effects are pretty cheesy, but overall I still think it's an impressive accomplishment. The Russians put a lot of money into this movie, and for the most part it shows. The film is a bit lumbering, but not much more so than "The Ten Commandments," which is more highly regarded, and not entirely justifiably.
Overall, this is a somewhat goofy, charmingly dated but eminently watchable spectacle with some truly memorable scenes, so slip it in the VCR, pop open a beer, get some popcorn and see what passed for state-of-the-art cinema in 1956 Russia.
Overall, this is a somewhat goofy, charmingly dated but eminently watchable spectacle with some truly memorable scenes, so slip it in the VCR, pop open a beer, get some popcorn and see what passed for state-of-the-art cinema in 1956 Russia.