Russian films worth watching
Stalker, 1979
Science fiction drama
Synopsis
The site of a meteorite crash is turned into a strange Zone full of lethal traps and bizarre sights. The protagonist, Stalker, is one of the few daredevil guides willing to risk venturing into the zone. He takes trusting and calm Professor and bitter sceptic Writer to an enigmatic room, where, as rumour has it, your deepest and dearest wish comes true.
Trivia
–The original footage was completely destroyed during an accident. Director Andrey Tarkovsky shot the whole film again from scratch.
–Stalker was the second science fiction film by Tarkovsky. The first was an adaptation of Stanislav Lem’s novel Solaris.
–The game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl borrows some elements from both the movie and the “Roadside Picnic” novel by the Strugatsky brothers upon which it the movie was based.
Brilliantovaya ruka (Diamond Arm), 1968
Comedy
Synopsis
Semyon Gorbunkov, an ordinary Soviet clerk, is lucky to win a Mediterranean cruise voyage and is drawn into smuggling jewels after crooks mistake him for another passenger. He is terrified but police convince him to help them track down the real criminals. Meanwhile the gang is trying to get their hands on the plaster band Gorbunkov is wearing – as this is where the jewels are hidden.
Trivia
–The lead is played by Yury Nikulin, a renowned Russian comedy actor and circus clown. When Nikulin first tried to enter an institute for actors, he was told he had no talent. He has since appeared in 33 films.
–During filming, Anatoly Papanov, who played one of the crooks, was frustrated with a cameraman and very emotionally called him an idiot. The sequence was used in the film.
–One of the characters accuses Gorbunkov of many reproachful deeds. “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the he secretly visits a lover!” she exclaims. The script had the word “synagogue,” but censorship forbade it.
Kin-Dza-Dza, 1986
Science fiction satire
Synopsis
A lost galactic traveller arrives on Earth, where two locals, believing him to be mentally ill, try to take him to an institution. Instead it is the locals who are transported to a distant desert called Pluk. Pluk people have superior technology, but they’ve used most of the planet’s resources and are now drifting into a barbaric state. The two earthmen have to find their way home, while trying to adapt to an unknown culture and preserve their humanity.
Trivia
–The film is full of neologisms and rituals attributed to alien caste society. Russians were so fond of the film that many began to adopt the culture – just say “ku, rodnoy!” to somebody.
–The word “ku” is one of the only two words in the Pluk language, which can mean anything but a curse word. In Portuguese there is a word “cu” which means something like “s**t!” in English. Kin-Dza-Dza won a special award for its artistic concept at the Rio de Janeiro film festival in 1987.
–Director Georgy Danelia deliberately used lower quality film for the shooting to make the picture harsher, with no half-tones and half-shadows.
Sobachye Serdtse (Heart of a Dog), 1988
Science fiction, comedy
Synopsis
In the 1920s, Professor Preobrazhensky researches rejuvenation treatment techniques with great success. In one of his experiments he transplants human endocrine glands into a dog. This brings unexpected results, as the dog is transformed into a human, who inherits the mindset and behaviour from the transplant donor – a rowdy alcoholic stabbed to death in a brawl. With him, the chaotic and ignorant forces that rule the streets invade the cosy haven of high science and refined culture.
Trivia
–The film is an adaptation of a story of the same title by Mikhail Bulgakov written in 1925. Many dialogues are direct quotes from the original novel. The story itself had been shelved for more then 60 years, although typewritten copies were widely circulated before its official publication.
–The film was shot in sepia and has several sequences styled to resemble 1920s documentaries.
–The name Preobrazhensky derives from the Russian word for “transfiguration.”
Ironiya sudby, ili s legkim parom! (The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!) (TV series), 1975
Romantic comedy
Synopsis
Zhenya, a naive doctor in his late 30s, celebrates New Year’s Eve with his friends. After some drinks and a lot of confusion they recall that ‘someone has to go to Leningrad’ – and Zhenya is mistakenly put on a flight. Still not quite himself, he arrives in the northern city and takes a taxi. Surprisingly there is an apartment block with the same address that looks like his home in Moscow. His key fits the corresponding flat, and Zhenya falls asleep only to be awakened by the puzzled flat owner, Nadya. The comedy of errors results in a romance between the two, despite that both Nadya and Zhenya are already engaged.
Trivia
–The film is broadcast on Russian TV every New Year’s Eve. Switching between channels, you could watch it three or four times in a row!
–Barbara Brylzka, who plays the part of Nadya, didn’t speak Russian, so she was dubbed by another actress, Valentina Talyzina. Talyzina plays a minor part in the film, so in one sequence she has a virtual dialogue with herself, but you wouldn’t notice it thanks to the different intonations she uses.
–Nadya’s apartment might seem magical to the attentive eye, as its furniture and walls constantly change to suit the action. Some fans say it was intentional and the whole situation is actually Zhenya’s drunken dream.
