The Elusive Avengers was released in the Soviet Union at the time of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Its success was enormous, not only because of the box office potential of the film itself, but also because it was a remake (in colour and widescreen) of the silent Soviet hit Little Red Devils (1924), a film remembered and adored by many.
Tom, the black circus boy from the original film, was replaced by the picturesque gypsy Yashka, with the bright and clever Valerka as his friend, to show Soviet audiences that the intelligentsia now had permission to take a small part in the new Communist life. Upon its release, the film faced criticism for trying to copy American Westerns, especially The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960), a film that was very popular in the Soviet Union.
- Director
- Edmond Keosayan
- Country of production
- USSR
- Year
- 1967
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2011
- Length
- 78'
- Medium
- 35mm
- Original title
- Neulovimye mstiteli
- Language
- Russian
- Production Company
- Mosfilm Cinema Concern
- Sales
- Mosfilm Cinema Concern
- Screenplay
- Edmond Keosayan, Sergei Yermolinsky
- Cinematography
- Feodor Dobronravov
- Editor
- Lyudmila Yelyan
- Production Design
- Vitaly Gladnikov
- Sound Design
- Boris Mokrousov
- Music
- Artashes Vanitsian
- Cast
- Viktor Kosykh, Mikhail Metyolkin