About the film
After their families are hurt by the brutal ataman Burnash, four young friends, including a girl and a Roma boy, form a band of 'elusive avengers' and fight back with speed, cunning and a lot of horse riding.
This is the USSR's answer to the western: chases, shoot-outs, songs and a showstopping comic turn by Boris Sichkin as the café singer Buba Kastorsky.
It was a giant hit with young audiences and spawned two sequels. A great family film if your children can read subtitles.
Did you know?
- It was followed by The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers (1968) and The Crown of the Russian Empire (1971).
- About 55 million people saw it in Soviet cinemas.
- Boris Sichkin's café singer Buba Kastorsky became one of the most quoted comic characters of the decade.
