Every one of us dreams of finding a magic wand, matches or, at least, an enchanted flower that would make any wish come true. Well, we’re just dreaming, but a boy named Tolya Ryzhkov did find one, though, between us, he didn’t deserve such a good fortune. He was a pretty big liar and rascal, didn’t listen to his mother, hurt those who were weaker, and didn’t obey traffic regulations.On that ill-fated day when his incredible adventures began he behaved badly, as usual. He had even made a policeman mad! While running away from him, Tolya met a magician and forced a box of magic matches from him. To punish the boy, the evil magician (alas, there are such, too) had Tolya transported to his magic island. You will know how it all ended when you watch this humorous, fascinating adventure film.
Direction
Yuzovskiy balances wonder with genuine menace.
Practical Effects
Charming lo-fi magic effects that aged weirdly well.
Director
Mikhail Yuzovskiy
Alisa Freyndlikh
Mother
Oleg Tabakov
Father
Savely Kramarov
Pigeon
Georgi Svetlani
grandfather with two suitcases
Evaldas Mikaliūnas
Tolik
Andrey Kharybin
Mishka
Vladimir Brezhnev
Himself
Michislav Yuzovsky
Mitka, Mishka's brother
Alexey Horizontov
police captain
Vyacheslav Tsyupa
Cheecha, local bully
Gerasim Voronkov
violinist Lyonya
Vladimir Savin
boy
Tatyana Grishina
girl
Boris Mayorov
hockey coach
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
A rare Soviet kids' film that doesn't sanitize consequences—Tolik suffers *visibly* for his lies, reflecting stricter 1970s USSR parenting norms.
Alisa Freyndlikh became a Soviet megastar; this early role shows her gift for exasperated mother energy that would define her career.
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