Ruslan and Ludmila is quite possibly Ptushko's greatest masterpiece, an epic two-part fantasy packed with surreal, grotesque characters—including a sorcerous midget with a 50-foot beard and a demonic, hunchbacked witch—and jawdropping set pieces such as the midget's shimmering crystal palace, tormented figures chained inside a cavern, and a decapitated giant's head rising up like a statue on Easter Island. Based on a poem by Pushkin, Ptushko's final film as a director follows the epic adventures of Ruslan as he struggles to recover the feisty, resourceful bride kidnapped on their wedding night by the impish sorcerer Tchernomor.