Did the title throw you off a little? Don't worry, it through me off as well. Yes, it would appear that Disney has produced a Russian-only fantasy movie called Kniga Masterov or in its native Russian Книга мастеров. The English translation is Book of Masters and it's the first Russian movie Disney has made. It stars an all Russian cast and dang if it doesn't look brilliant.

I could easily throw out the names of the director, writer, actors and producers but honestly, I doubt you have ever heard of them and they are all Russian. Even IMDB doesn't have pictures to go with their names. The film is based on Russian folklore and fairy tales but the imagery from the trailer and video clip lean heavily on the Lord of the Rings films. That's not a bad thing though. I'm all for a good fantasy film, in whatever language it may be in.

Watch the trailer and the clip after the jump.

The people over at Twitch have the translation the stone golems are chanting at the end of the video clip to say, "We obey Stone Queen, until a stone would cry and man would have pity on stone."

Kniga Masterov has been in production since 2008 and I wish I had heard something about it before now because it looks fun. Russian filmmakers are scoring major points as of late with this movie and the flying car movie Black Lightning by director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, 9). I hope they continue to produce quality work because with all the schlep Hollywood is dishing out lately, maybe we need to look overseas for a fresh take on things.

I will say this; do not be afraid to watch this or any other movie just because it has subtitles. Screen Rant writer Ross Miller wrote an exceptional piece on why viewers should take the time to watch foreign films with subtitles. If you skip out on it for that reason only, you could very well be missing out on something enjoyable.

What did you think of the Russian trailer and video clip for Kniga Masterov? Would you be willing to watch it with sub-titles or no?

Kniga Masterov (Book of Masters) opens in Russian theaters October 29th, 2009.

Source: Twitch