Mermaids are among the most popular images of demonology represented in art. Since the beginning of the film industry, filmmakers have been attracted to this folklore character by an incredible combination of beauty and mystery, tragedy and poetry, love and death, which is why films with mermaids were created in different countries and various cinematic genres.
An unusual look at a familiar story
The Soviet-Bulgarian film "The Little Mermaid" (1976) was directed by Vladimir Bychkov based on the fairy tale of the same name by H. K. Andersen. The picture went beyond the traditional framework of a familiar children's fairy tale, turning into a full-fledged family movie. There is no black humor, vulgarity and rudeness in it. You can safely show the tape to children of preschool and primary school age, it will be much more interesting to them than teenagers.
The movie story was created at the film studio. Gorky. A poetic image, stylized costumes, a monolithic and verified plot, and special effects unprecedented for the 70s became her key to success. The rating of the famous Soviet film adaptation IMDb: 7.10, so she deserves to top the list of the best films about mermaids.
Products of the domestic film industry. Horror
The list of the most successful film projects includes two more domestic films with mermaids - “Mermaid. Lake of the Dead ”and“ Mermaid ”(2007).
The first picture is a competent genre example of a monster hiding in the depths of the water. Svyatoslav Podgaevsky, who appeared in the film as a director and co-author of the script, is considered a kind of flagship of the Russian horror genre. He is known for his paintings “The Bride” and “The Queen of Spades”. In previous works, the director demonstrated exemplary professional skills, the ability to work with material and actors.
The plot is inspired by Slavic mythology. On the eve of the wedding with Marina, the groom Roman goes to a country house for a bachelor party. There, in the wilderness on the lake, he meets a strange stranger, frightening and attractive at the same time. The young man will soon regret very much about this meeting, since all his vitality is drawn by an unknown ailment. Marina is ready to fight for her love to the end.
The project was made very soundly, Podgaevsky withstands all horror standards, properly pumping up the atmosphere, which can not be said about other films with mermaids in the horror genre.
Russian Amelie
If the work of Podgayevsky is known only in the vastness of the Fatherland, then the brainchild of Anna Melikyan back in 2007 gained world fame. The Russian melodrama "Mermaid" is included in all the well-known ratings of the best films about mermaids. In the center of the story is the story of the girl Alice, who has a unique gift. This film was nominated for an Oscar in 2008. The foreign press, emphasizing the merits of the project, dubbed the tape "Russian Amelie." Among the advantages of the picture are the general atmosphere, a peculiar structure of the narrative, the color scheme, and close attention to detail. Western critics in their reviews often compare the main character performed by Maria Shalaeva with the key character in the movie “Run, Lola, Run.”
Family comedy
Not the last place among the films with mermaids is the product of the joint production of the USA and Australia “Aquamarine”. The main roles in the work of the director Elizabeth Allen are played by D. Levesky, E. Roberts and S. Paxton. The tape was created based on the novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman.
The plot introduces the viewer to two young friends Claire and Haley, who are threatened with an early separation, because Haley's parents are leaving for Australia. Once, after a severe storm, the heroines find the mermaid Aquamarine. They hide her in the pool of the beach club, and in the morning a real commotion awaits the whole audience. The atmosphere is heating up after the unexpected love of a mermaid in an ordinary guy. The film "Aquamarine" (2006) was created in the genre of family comedy, its IMDb rating is 5.30. Those viewers who like Allen’s work can be recommended to watch the series “H2O: Just Add Water” also about mermaids.
Fourth film in the series
In the ranking of the best ribbons with mermaids, the project "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (IMDb: 6.600) takes far from the last place. Based on the novel by Tim Powers, the fourth episode again offers the viewer a meeting with his favorite characters, including Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard, Davy Jones, his daughter Angelica and a host of other bright characters.
This time, the company is competing in who first gets to the source of eternal youth. But in order to find him, you need mermaids, or rather, their tears. The scene of catching mermaids is beautiful from beginning to end. Romantic feelings flared up between the captured young preacher Philip Swift and the captured Siren (mermaid) intensify the atmosphere of the narrative.
The young beauty Astrid Burges-Frisbee is very good in the image of a mythical creature. Plus, a ship dancing on a rock, breathtaking performances of Jack, a duel in Angelica, water flowing up, Jack's father and a crazy monkey. You will definitely not be bored while watching.
Drama and Fantasy
The plot of the film "Ondine" directed by Neil Jordan includes elements of real life and Irish mythology. The main character, the fisherman Syracuse, nicknamed the Circus, a girl who suffers from amnesia is caught in the net. The stranger does not even remember her name. The man calls her Ondine and brings her home. In fact, this is a mermaid, aiming to give birth to a child from a mortal, in order to get an immortal soul. The daughter of the hero Annie, suffering from kidney disease, forced to move in a wheelchair, is approaching Ondine. The girl believes that the stranger is really a mermaid, and soon such suspicions begin to torment Syracuse. The project has a rental rating of PG-13.
Chinese comedian Stephen Chow in 2016 tried to realize himself as a director by releasing the movie “The Mermaid”. The fantastic romantic film about the mermaid Shan, who went to the world of people to take revenge on the offender of his people, Liu Xuan, is one of the most successful projects of Chinese cinema, therefore, listing the best thematic paintings, you just can not remember about it.
Melodramatic retro comedy
The proposed list is completed by the retro-comedy “Mermaids” (1990), in the main role of which the most famous singer and actress Cher shines. As a star, she wanted to convey to a greater extent the tragicomic vision of this story, unfolding in the early 60s. The picture was shot by Richard Benjamin, who got a romantic and even melodramatic comedy about the sexy and busty Rachel Flax moving with her two daughters from one city to another after another amorous disappointment.