I'm happy to finally translate another animated film from Tajikfilm here, only the second on the site! I think this one is quite good. Great art direction (the central Asian SSRs really seemed to like this style of cutout animation... it was also a big thing in Uzbekfilm) and screenplay, and a memorable "Central Asian" flavour to the whole thing.

It bears only a rough resemblance to the original story. Both the ancient tale and the film have the cat pretending to turn over a new leaf (originally, he pretends to be religiously pious and repentant, but in the cartoon he instead pretends to be vegetarian), the mouse king declaring war, there being a big, bloody battle, and the mice triumphing only for the cat to then escape. But many other details differ.

Unique to the film are the little hero mouse (in the original story, there is a mouse who gets drunk and brags, not an actual hero), the cat's "ladies" (two more-or-less loyal, one very much not), the cat being in a castle, and the cat saving his skin at the end through trickery (in the original story, he rips the ropes tying him through sheer strength). One of the biggest differences is that the mice in the original story lose at the last minute despite apparently having won. In the film, it's more of a draw - the cat escapes, but loses his castle. Yet he remains in one piece, has his females about him and seems relatively happy. The worst off is actually the Siamese cat, who (as a result of her betrayal) ends up being disliked by both sides, and gets her tail cut off and told to "fish for her own food". So the moral of the film (as I read it) ends up being something like "being a traitor is the worst thing you can be (even if it's an unjust cause that you're betraying)".

I'll add that, despite all of his murder and treachery, I find it hard to really dislike the cat. He has a roguish charm and his tricks are so obvious that the mice almost deserve what comes to them. Besides, the mice's failure is in large part because the only mouse that seems able to outsmart the cat has not been made their leader. Despite the other plot differences, that is very much in the spirit of the original story: though many of the mice are courageous and brave, and they may win a battle or two, and even be on top for a while, their innate traits mean that cats always have the advantage and eventually regain their standing.

Not exactly a fable that is "communist" in spirit, but perhaps it was a little prophetic...