About one unforgetable movie...

[LightStorm]

Greetings to all participants of this forum!
When that for a long time, in the former USSR, in 1980 when I still was the little boy, I have seen at a cinema a fine Japanese anime film " Princes - swans ", created on motives of fairy tale Andersen - " The wild swans ". Then in Soviet Union such films practically did not show and for our small small town it was simple a miracle. This film was in cinema only one day. Having looked I have felt it of something unusual, it was so unforgettably...!
It was sensation of unusual beauty and love...!
I very much wanted to see this film still, but it is more never than such case was presented. I remember, what even when I went to sleep - I thought of desire that this film has dreamed me! Recently I, for some reason, has recollected this film and began to search for the information in the web. The only thing, that I have found is a mention of this film on what that russian site. And therefrom it was possible to find out, that a name of produsser is - Chiaki Imada.
But that it is strange - in all English-speaking websites I did not manage to find about it anything...
I have found similar cartoon films made by Americans but it not that... Perhaps somebody from you, professional fans of anime, will prompt me something about this cartoon film?

ThankYouAll!
LightStorm.

 

[Twisted]

Welcome to the forum, LightStorm.

I hope someone can help you with this.

The only movie i can find is Toward the Terra, being produced by Chiaki Imada in 1980. But this is a science fiction movie, so it's probably not what you're looking for.

Here is his filmography

 

[LightStorm]

Twisted, thank you for the help!!!
I assume, that there can be a director of this film not Chiaki Imada, there is a probability, that here there can be a mistake. But I have found a picture from this film on the same russian site. Maybe it can something to tell?

 

[jeisan]

there was actually a title called 'wild swans' made in 1980 but it was only 11 minutes long and i cant find a picture nor anymore info about it, and you cant buy it either so its pretty much a dead end. heres the link anyway...

http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/movie/details/0,7286,VID-V++++54585,00.html

the japanese title may help more in the search than the english one. plus any other tidbit of info.
*likes being called a ''professional fan of anime''*

 

[LightStorm]

Yessss!!!
Yesterday I have stayed a floor of night in searches and in a result I have found the real information on this film! Actually film was made in 1977 by Yugo Serigawa/Toei Doga. And on Japanese it referred to - " Hakucho no Oji " (duration 60 min.)
In any case of thank all of you for the help !!!

P.S.Floor of a way it is made, now I shall search somewhere for film. On amazon.com I have not found it.

 

[degpiexoxo]

hi LightStorm!

i love that movie!!!
i swear i must have rented it a million times when i was little! because she can't talk while she's making the coats or her brothers will die!! and then they try to burn her!!! it's so sad!!!!
i looked around a little bit though and i couldn't find it anywhere... ;_; have you had any luck? (...maybe i can steal it from the movie rental place...)

 

[jeisan]

or just dub it...

 

[degpiexoxo]

i'm a technological failure...

 

[LightStorm]

Hi degpiexoxo!
I, for the present, have not found this film in any place, but I never surrender!
And, I think, that I shall find it !!! I am sure!!!
I shall inform about results of the my search to you in a forum!

 

[degpiexoxo]

yay! you'll definitely find it! good luck!

 

[tweetyvo]

have you found it?

Hello Lightstorm,

have you found this movie? This is funny, because I have been looking for this movie for ages, but I haven't been lucky yet. Please let me know if you find this movie. That wil be great!! I love it and my mom loves it, too.

Hope to hear from you later!

 

[LightStorm]

Hi tweetyvo !
Unfortunately about this film, today, already practically nothing can be found, but the more I search for it, the it is more to me than it would be desirable to find and I not surender.
It is surprising, that I remember it so much years...

I have found one Italian site where this film is mentioned in chronology of animation.
Here the link to it:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rllew/chrn1977.html#end
When the page will be loaded, you will see too many dates and names, therefore better at once press Ctrl F and write " Hakucho no oji " long to not search for.
If my searches will crown success I shall necessarily write here on a forum. If to you will have the luck to find this film inform too about it, please!
P.S.
It while everything, that I managed to find, and still here this picture:

 

[angrybutter]

SOME INFORMATION!

My gosh... I was looking around the internet to find this movie that I was in love with when I was 8 years old or so... I rented it over and over from my local place and every time I watched it I cried. I loved it so much... anyway, I found this thread on google because of my search!

When I was about 17 I was back in the neighborhood where I used to live and near that store and I almost thought about going to the store, renting it, and never returning. Unfortunately, I didn't do that.

Then in the last few years I was flipping through TV and found something that drove me insane. It was playing--but it was in SPANISH. And it was on the last scene... I seriously would have recorded it just to have it even though it wasn't in English or Japanese but it was already too late. I was so frustrated because I could not find any information about it from the TV that time either.

I hope someone will find a way for us to have this movie in our lives again...

Here is what I have found...
----
Hakucho No Oji (Tôei Animation)
Hakucho no Oji
Toei Animation
Featuring: Widowed King, New Bride, Six Sons/Swans, Elisa.
Directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa, Yuji Endo.
Animated by Takashi Abe.
Written by Tomoe Ryu.
Originally Released in 1977 (Estimate).
Originally Released Theatrically.
Running Time: 62 minutes.
Japan
---
OTOKICHI PREMIUM

It says out of stock... but what if someone writes to them? Would they be able to find out how to get one?
---
This site has pictures! I used babelfish.altavista.com to translate it from french to english... reading the description really brought a lot of it back to me. Ahhh, how I miss it!
404

ROLE NAME
Realizer Nobutaka Nishizawa
Yuji Endo
Scenario Tomoe Ryu
Decorations Hideo Chiba
Music Akihiro Komori
Character Designer Takashi Abe
---
BEST INFO I HAVE FOUND YET:
http://www.pelleas.net/dbman/db.cgi?db=wmt&uid=default&ID=116&view_records=1
French dub: Released in Quebec as Les Cygnes Sauvages by Escalibur Video. Out of print.
English dub: 1983 Turner Program Services dub released on VHS in 1985 by RCA Columbia Home Pictures in the Magic Window series. Produced by John Watkins and Simon Nuchtern; executive producer Sidney Pike. Approx. 62 min. Out of print. (sleeve)

So now, just how to find an out of print movie???

This nearly gave me a heart attack:

sandy
p.s. another movie I loved at that time and maybe someone here will like is 'The Water Prince and the Fire Child.' That one I found at my local video store luckily, so I got to watch it again.

 

[LightStorm]

Hi angrybutter !
I understand you when you wrote, that you cried, when this film looked! There is in this film something such that years were kept at me in soul so much. It is surprising and fine. Here something has been enclosed special... Strange that to the big database on allmovieguide.com there are a few information on it anime, but very poor...
AllMovie | Movies and Films Database | Movie Search, Ratings, Photos, Recommendations, and Reviews

From the moment of opening of this theme by me I long searched for this film and have rummaged, probably, a half of the Internet.
Unfortunately the hope for success gradually thew... Once, casually, on one English-speaking site I have found out the name of this miracle in the Japanese language!!!
Anime's Checklist – Meine Checklisten im Web

Right after it I have installed in Windows support Japanese and have started this name in the search engines... The engines has given out very few references and only on one of sites:
世界名作童話 白鳥の王子 : 象のロケット≪映画DVD総合ナビゲーター≫
There was here this small picture...

As it is a pity that I do not know Japanese...

Unexpectedly I have understood, that it is possible to try to find a company site which has made this film and have found it!
It アニメといえば、東映アニメーション！ TOEI ANIMATION !!!

Completely in the Japanese language and I began to search for this site email adresses in code of html pages... I have found two:
[email protected] [email protected]

In this connection I had an idea to write to them the letter on behalf of all interested participants of this theme at this forum. With the request to help us to find this cartoon film.

Better if this letter you Angrybutter, in fact will write my English very weak. Let's invite guys from TOEI to this page of a forum and we shall ask to write to us here the answer! I very much hope, that our searches will lead to success!

 

[angrybutter]

Found it...

Well, actually, I already found the movie...

Because of this information below I knew that it was out of print. I looked for it on Ebay, and found the same cover, and bought it. So you should try looking on Ebay every once in a while for 'Wild Swans' and maybe "Wild Swans VHS" and if you see this same picture on the cover as I showed in the end of my last post, it should be the right one!

English dub: 1983 Turner Program Services
dub released on VHS in 1985 by RCA Columbia Home Pictures in the Magic Window series.
Produced by John Watkins and Simon Nuchtern; executive producer Sidney Pike. Approx. 62 min. Out of print. (sleeve)

Be aware that it seems it is quite rare on Ebay and the last time it was sold it went for US$51, but I was lucky and got mine just the morning after I found this thread and accelerated my research.

If you do not have any luck finding it soon, then maybe you can email me and we will talk about copying it (when it arrives and when I can manage to hook up two VCRs together). Please use the email that should be in my profile on this forum.

sandy

 

[neptunemoon]

This movie sounds cool i wish i could see it

 

[LightStorm]

Hi Sandy!
I have made search on ebay, but have not received any result with this film. Probably to you has luck also that you have bought - was unique.I shall check still ebay. Maybe can will appear.
Copying of this film - too complex idea. Because in America standard is NTSC, and at me - PAL. Therefore I am not convenient to ask for puzzling you over it. Today I had one very good idea and I have sent the letter on ozon.ru. It is the largest russian internet videostore in the web.
I think, that i will lucky, because saw at them in the list two Japanese cartoon films of the same company which have made at the same time, as ours Wild swans! Therefore chances are!
While I shall wait their answer.

Write to me about the impressions when you will receive, and you will look this film again!
Write me the your email. If I will not manage to find it - you maybe my last hope!
my email:
[email protected]

Robert.

 

[LightStorm]

Unbelievable, but finally,i have found this film!
Has casually found in Google one new site with a plenty anime.
And at them it was in the list!
Here:
AnimeXclub: Hakucho no Oji (Swan Princess) (view free samples of this movie)
Its also with russian dub.
I have ordered it.
24 years have passed since I saw it!
And here yesterday again it has looked... Old, almost overlooked feelings Were recollected.
It is a real world masterpiece!

 

[tweetyvo]

great!!!

Hi Lightstorm,

you are the best! How is the movie? Is it a DVD in English or in which language? I have to order it soon.

 

[LightStorm]

Hi tweetyvo!
This film, that i'm finded not in a DVD quality, this is in real media file format and, unfortunately, a sound only in russian. Anything I am better than it has not found. I think, in english, that it sometimes can be found on ebay as it has made angrybutter.