The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Tags: cult, psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
A couple had three sons, and the youngest was a fool. One day, the Tsar declared that whoever made him a ship that could sail through the air would marry his daughter. The older two set out, with everything their parents could give them; then the youngest set out as well, despite their ridicule and being given less fine food. He met a little man and, when the man asked to share, he hesitated only because it was not fit. But when he opened it, the food had become fine.
The man told him how to strike a tree with an axe; then, he was not to look at it but fall to his knees. When he was lifted up, he would find the tree had been turned into a boat, and could fly it to the Tsar's palace, but he should give anyone who asked a lift. He obeyed.
On the way, he met and gave a lift to a man who was listening to everything in the world, a man who hopped on one leg so that he would not reach the end of the world in one bound, a man who could shoot a bird at a hundred miles, a man who needed a great basket of bread for his breakfast, a man whose thirst could not be sated by a lake, a man with a bundle of wood that would become soldiers, and a man with straw that would make everything cold.
At the Tsar's place, the Tsar did not want to marry the princess to a peasant. He decided to send him to the end of the world to get healing water, before the Tsar finished his dinner. But the man who could hear heard him and told the youngest son, who lamented his fate. The fleet-footed man went after it. He fell asleep by the spring, and the huntsman shot the tree he was leaning against to wake him up, and he brought back the water in time. The Tsar then ordered him to eat twelve oxen and twelve tons of bread, but the glutton ate them all. The Tsar then ordered him to drink forty casks of wine, with forty gallons each, but the thirsty man drank them all.
The Tsar said that the betrothal would be announced after the youngest son bathed, and went to have him stifled in the bath by heat. The straw cooled it, saving him.
The King demanded that he present him with an army on the spot, and with the wood, the youngest son had it and threatened to attack if the Tsar did not agree. The Tsar had him dressed in fine clothing, and the princess fell in love with him on sight. They were married, and even the glutton and the thirsty man had enough to eat and drink at the feast.

Review: Vivid Version Of Old Russian Tale.
A silly, greedy Tsar is taught a valuable lesson in humility by the six very peculiar friends who arrive at the Kremlin with THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP.This old Russian folk tale, - produced by Cosgrove Hall, masters of the art of stop-motion animation - is most enjoyable viewing.
The intricacy of the tiny costumes & sets are fascinating, while the amount of personality infused into each character model is quite remarkable.
The boisterous humor of the scene depicting the banquet of the Forester's Wife is a special highlight.The production is helped tremendously by the splendid voice cast.
David Suchet narrates, Jimmy Hibbert voices the hero Pyotr, while several old pros - Maurice Denham, Robin Bailey & Miriam Margolyes among them - lend their considerable talents..
Couldn't be any better..
I have two versions of this comment; the short, and the long.The short version is this: This film is simply fantastic.
Absolutely perfect.
A must see.And the long version: This film is simply a classic.
I have never seen such an amazing piece of animation, or storyline (even if Cosgrove Hall didn't write it...).
The characters are simply delightful, each puppet is crafted in a 'beautiful' way - these puppets are artwork in themselves.
If you ever get your hands on this film, pay attention to the animation.
It is phenomenal, especially for a 1990s film.
And the detail, like the expressions in the faces and the background characters, and little things like that that make this film magical.
In some cases, it even puts a little humour into it (such as the banquet scene).As an animator, myself, I think this film is absolutely amazing.
A great film for kids, and adults, to enjoy.
If you ever get the chance to see it, make sure you take it, as I'm sure you will enjoy it..
Wonderful production.
I reviewed this film many years ago when it came out on videocassette for School Library Journal.
As the other reviewer stated, the animation was extraordinary for 1990; the entire production was beautiful including the sets, the puppets' clothing, the voice-over acting; the narration by David Suchet, etc.
Based on a Russian folktale, the production stays true to Russian culture of a by-gone era.
Young peasant boy Pyotr receives aid from magical beings and people in order to fly a magic ship to the Czar's palace.
There he hopes to win the hand of the princess by accomplishing three impossible tasks.
I still own the videocassette as this is still one of the best animated films I have ever seen..
A Tale of true love and magic.
THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP is probably Cosgrove Hall's most recognizable and charming story ever featured.
Making its debut appearance on the PBS series, LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY, this story is truly a classic that both adults and children will love for many years.THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP is a beautiful tale about a young man named Pyotr who's kindness towards an old man and with help from six unusual super humans, eventually leads him to the Czar's winter palace so that he can take the Czar's daughter hand in marriage.The animation is superb as the creators effectively use puppet animation to make this story more creative and realistic to look at.
This story will be an instant treat for the young and old and also check out for the Rabbit Ears' version of this tale, narrated by Robin Williams which is called RABBIT EARS- THE FOOL AND THE FLYING SHIP..
I have watched this version many, many times.
When I purchased this video 4 years ago, I had my 4 year old watch it with me.
If my son, who was that young then, understood the story, the plot, and enjoyed the character as much as I did, then I must say the movie did its job.
It has the classic good vs.
evil plots, yet the message here was how to make someone with so much power learn how to be humble, which did reach that goal.I am safely say that the story was marvelous, the characters were incredibly cute, and the audience will not be disappointed with the story.*** 8 out of 10 ***.
Diamond in the rough.
I saw this when it came out in the early '90's and was very impressed by the animation, voices and story.
The kids will like the adventure while adults will appreciate the way each character is uniquely portrayed.
And it even teaches the kids about greed and friendship..
My 1,500th review..
A big part in my film/TV viewing since growing up,I've always been sad that despite their biggest creations out on DVD, Cosgrove Hall's output still remains tragically overlooked.
Thinking of a title to watch for my 1,500th IMDb review,I decided to reunite with Cosgrove Hall's fool of the world.The plot:Wanting to give any would-be husband a challenge, Tsar Nicolai and his daughter Princess Alexei decide that she will get married to the man who can make a ship fly in the sky.
After declaring this, Nicolai and Alexei challenge is heard across the whole of Russia.
Whilst he works in the farm helping his family, Peter's brothers take the family savings and promise to return with the Princess.
Unknown to Peter, his brothers have used the challenge as a way to steal the family gold.
Going in search of his brothers, Peter crosses paths with a shaman in the woods.
Taken by Peter's kind offering of food,the shaman (who had earlier met the brothers) creates a flying ship out of feathers for Peter.
Before setting off for the palace, the Shaman tells Peter that he must let anyone who wants to go on the ship join.
Flying to the palace,Peter picks up various people who want to share their skills with Nicolai.
Landing at the palace,Peter and his fellow travellers discover that they have flown into new challenges.View on the film:Sailing over Nicolai's palace, director Francis Vose gives this Cosgrove Hall production an immaculate attention to detail,from care clearly being shown towards the smallest detail of each character ( from the arrows of Sharp Shooter,to the food made by Mrs Woodcutter.) and the palace being covered with glittering gold.
Done in a stop-motion animation style, Vose makes the style look remarkably flexible, with tracking shots running down the corridors of the palace.Bringing the Fantasy magic out of the tale, Vose conjures the ship with an incredibly subtle use of CGI which makes the creation of the ship sequence sparkle.
Whilst some of them are on the large side, Vose makes the legs and limbs are the characters look incredibly fragile,with close-ups displaying the smooth facial expressions.
Joined by memorable songs from composer Mike Harding, the screenplay by John Hambley writers an enchanting tale, with the skills of each visitor leading to thrilling challenges from Nicolai.Running under an hour,Hambley fills the film with enough events for two hours, as Hambley cleverly uses the challenge set by Nicolai to give everyone their moment,and also cast a warmth between Alexei and Peter.
Introducing the tale, David Suchet gives a superb performance as the narrator, with Suchet giving a richness to the animation in his narration, as the fool of the world flies into view.