Amphibian Man
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The Amphibian Man is one of the most renown novels by Alexander Beliaev - a Russian science fiction writer. The book tells a story of a young man, Ichtiandr, who as a child was given a set of shark gills by his father – an all powerful scientist and doctor. The father struggled to replace his son's ailing lungs and managed to save Ichtiandr from dying however limiting the young man's ability to interact with the outside world, or the world of the land. Similar to Beliaev's other works, the book investigates the possibilities of survival beyond one's physical ability as well as the integrity of scientific experiments. It also brings up some socialist ideals of improving living conditions for the world's poor.
Set in Cuba, the book also presents an adventurous love story that in 1962 was brought to large screens all over the Soviet Union. The film “Amphibian Man,” in Russian called “Chelovek Amphibia” (Человеκ Амфибия), was directed by Vladimir Chebotaryov and in 1962 recorded 65 million admissions quickly becoming one of the most admired movies in the region. Shot in Crimea, with a beautiful young cast, the film also features then popular song and dance numbers, and has characteristics of a musical. The first song and the background musical theme of the movie - "Sea Devil" became a hit that was sung well into the 90s.
