This beautiful adaptation of a Brothers Grimm fairy-tale has become a staple of Slovak Christmases, notwithstanding its plentiful adult content, horrific elements and that it was only made because its director was forbidden from producing more personal projects. Giulietta Masina shines as Perinbaba, aka “Lady Winter”, the “Feather Fairy”, in this tale of a young boy whose life she saved who wishes to leave her enchanted domain for the real world, notwithstanding the latter’s many terrors. Jakubisko steeped this cult classic in Slavic folklore; the breathtaking cinematography is by Dodo Šimončič.

Digital print courtesy of the Slovak Film Institute.