The Tale of Fedot, the Shooter 2002

Based on the folk tale Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What, this film reimagines a classic Russian legend as a rich, magical tapestry of loyalty, cunning, and community resilience. Fedot, Fedot, a dutiful strelets at the Tsar’s court, earns his keep as the royal hunter, but a simple request from the Tsar—to supply game for a dinner with a visiting English envoy—turns into a test of wit and fate. When a dove turns from a mere bird into a beautiful woman—Marusya, though the world would call her a bride—Fedot’s life changes in an instant. Marusya, wielding hidden talents, refuses to let the Tsar cheat a loyal husband and uses her magic to safeguard their love. With the help of two fantastical aides, Tit Kuzmich and Frol Fomich, she fills the royal table and proves that magic can be both a shield and a weapon.

The court’s peace is short-lived. The Tsar, seeking to consolidate power and prestige, projects a grand plan: he hopes to secure a marriage between his realm and the English princess, a match that promises splendor but lacks true beauty or warmth. The Princess and her sharp-eyed nanny resist the arrangement, while a chorus of ambassadors and advisors—ranging from the Spanish and Japanese to the Eastern and German envoys—watch the negotiations with wary eyes. The scene is crowded with a mixture of diplomacy, pride, and private agendas that test the balance between duty and desire.

After the dinner, the General—the head of the empire’s secret police—appears with a growing appetite for control and a sense that Fedot’s good fortune must be clipped. He reports that Fedot’s newly married life is a threat to the Tsar’s authority, and a plan is hatched to trap Fedot in a challenge so daunting that failure would justify punishment. The General consults Baba Yaga, the enigmatic witch who inhabits the forest, seeking a scheme that will bend the rules of magic and fate. Baba Yaga’s counsel yields a sequence of tasks designed to stretch Fedot beyond his limits and test his loyalty to Marusya and the people.

First, the Tsar commands Fedot to retrieve a magic carpet that reveals all of Russia at a glance, as if the country were open on a vast map. Marusya and her two magical helpers find a way to deliver the carpet by morning, leaving the Tsar both impressed and irritated. Then a second deadline arrives: a golden-horned deer, a creature many declare does not exist. Once again, Marusya and her magical aides supply the deer, keeping Fedot in the hunt and the Tsar in check. As the pressure escalates, the General pushes the plan toward its final, most elusive task: obtain Something That Could Not Be in the World. Even Tit Kuzmich and Frol Fomich struggle to define such a thing, but Fedot presses forward, determined to shield his wife and his honor.

The day of the final assignment arrives, and the Tsar arrives with wedding gifts for Marusya. Refusing to betray Fedot, Marusya chooses loyalty over palace politics and, in a moment both tender and bold, transforms into a dove and escapes back into the world she loves. Fedot, now a pilgrim of the road, departs to begin his quest for the impossible—Something That Could Not Be in the World—only to be shipwrecked on a lonely island where a Voice, a bodyless but powerful spirit, waits with a quiet longing for human companionship. The two souls connect, and the spirit agrees to return with Fedot to confront the Tsar’s injustice.

On their return, Fedot finds his home ruined by the Tsar’s harassment, and Marusya reveals the hardship she endured in silence. He calls upon the steadfast Russian people to help reclaim dignity and justice, and a chorus of ordinary citizens answers the call. They march on the Tsar’s palace, setting a tone of collective retribution that unsettles the old power structure. In the ensuing confrontation, the Tsar, the General, and Baba Yaga each stumble into a web of mutual accusations, and the people finally exile them—sailing away in a bucket, a striking image of popular justice over despotic whim. In the aftermath, Fedot rejects a marriage proposal from the Princess, promising to help her find another partner in due time, before the tale reprises the feast prepared by the magic of Something That Could Not Be.

The film is a lush blend of folklore and court intrigue, punctuated by moments of whimsy and moments of quiet courage. Its cast brings to life a world where birds embody wisdom, while ambassadors from distant lands underscore a shared human hunger for peace and prosperity. The enduring message is one of communal strength: even when the powerful falter and magic seems to tilt toward mischief, the people—led by steadfast individuals like Fedot—have the power to restore balance, defend what is right, and celebrate a feast that no one can easily name, but everyone can recognize as earned.

• The tale’s magical figures are vividly realized on screen, with the royal hunter Fedot at the center of every decision, and the Tsar standing as a foil whose ambitions are tempered by the people’s resolve. The film also highlights the mythic birds—the Sirin-Bird and the Gamayun-Bird—playful reminders of fate and prophecy, wonderfully rendered by Galina Kuznetsova and Svetlana Gaytan. The iconic witch Baba Yaga is given texture and menace by Olga Volkova, while the enigmatic General is brought to life by Vladimir Gostyukhin. The genre-blending wonder of this story is carried by a broad ensemble, including the mysterious Tit Kuzmich, rendered on screen by Kirill Ulyanov, and a slate of ambassadors who personify the international stakes of the Tsar’s court, such as Yuriy Galtsev (Spanish ambassador), Gali Abaydulov (Japanese ambassador), Erik Keniya (Eastern ambassador), Arkadiy Koval (German ambassador), and Sergei Parshin (Scottish ambassador). The poignant turn on the island and the final reckoning with the Tsar’s regime are grounded by the quiet power of the supporting cast, including Elena Gabets as the Nanny and Nadezhda Zharikova as the Firebird, both delivering moments of human warmth amid the legend.

Through a generous, unflinching lens, the film invites viewers to consider how tradition, magic, and collective action can converge to undermine tyranny and restore dignity. It stays true to its roots while letting the characters speak with contemporary clarity, turning an ancient fable into a living, breathing story about courage, community, and the choices that bind people together.