Russian films worth watching
Beloe solntse pustini (The White Sun of the Desert), 1970
Action
Synopsis
Dubbed ‘the first Russian western,’ this movie is set in an unnamed Central Asian republic at the end of the civil war. Sukhov, a sturdy but caring soldier of the Red Army is returning home to his beloved wife, but is drawn into a stand-off with a local gang headed by cruel war chief Abdullah. Sukhov is to watch over Abdullah’s nine wives, whom the bandit abandoned while fleeing from hunting troops. But eventually the lonely hero has to fight the whole gang, as Abdullah re-appears in the town.
Trivia
–This movie is said to bring good luck to Russian cosmonauts. They always watch it prior to blast off.
–The Russian customs service plans to fund the creation of a monument to one of the movie’s characters, Vereschagin. While confronting Abdullah, who is trying to flee abroad, he says a well-known phrase: “I don’t take bribes, I just feel hurt for the country.”
–One of the bandits, a tsarist non-com, is wearing a katana instead of a traditional sabre.
Semnadtsat mgnoveniy vesny (Seventeen Moments of Spring) (TV series), 1973
War drama
Synopsis
During the last year of World War II, Isaev, a Soviet mole in the German SS intelligence department discovers that several top Nazi officers are negotiating with some Allied generals. After his radio operator is killed in a bombing, Isaev seeks ways to pass the information on to Moscow, while at the same time playing a game of wits and nerves against his German ‘colleagues’ who start to suspect something.
Trivia
–This was one of the first TV mini series produced in Russia.
–Shtirlitz – the cover name used by the protagonist – has become one of the most popular characters in Russian jokes, most of them based on word play and quotations from the series.
–At the time of shooting, director Tatyana Lioznova had no photo of Heinrich Muller, the head of the Gestapo. As a result, the part is played by an actor, who looks absolutely nothing like the real-life character.
—The chief consultant on the film was a deputy chairman of the KGB.
Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya (Can’t Change the Meeting Place) (TV series), 1979
Crime drama
Synopsis
Moscow in the late 1940s is a mix of joy over the end of the war and trouble created by a new slew of criminals. Sharapov, a retired military officer, joins the criminal police, where he works under tough-as-nails chief Zheglov. Their friendship must survive their differing attitudes towards life: Sharapov is an idealist who puts justice before fighting crime, while Zheglov is adamant that the ends justify the means, at whatever cost.
Trivia
–The part of Zheglov is played by famous singer and poet Vladimir Visotskiy. He approached the authors of the novel, upon which the series is based, shortly after it was published and ‘claimed’ the role, saying: “There will be a film. Probably a big one. And that’s my part. No one will play Zheglov like I will.”
–Visotskiy also substituted director and close friend, Stanislav Govorukhin, on many occasions.
–Urban legend has it that crime decreased while the series was on-air. Criminals were too afraid to offend!
Sherlok Holms i doktor Vatson (Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson) (TV series), 1980-81
Detective adventure
Synopsis
The series follows the adventures of private investigator Sherlock Holmes and his friend Doctor Watson. Russians are proud of this adaptation, which many fans of the famous British detective – who holds the Guinness World Record for “most portrayed movie character” – consider to be one of the best in the world. The series is comprised of five instalments based on a dozen short stories and novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Trivia
–Vasily Livanov received an Order of the British Empire of the second degree for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.
–The New Zealand mint produced a four-coin set to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes. It features actors from this series.
–In the early 2000s, Livanov reprised his role as Sherlock Holmes in Russian tea commercials.
Kavkazskaya plennitsa (Kidnapping Caucasian Style), 1966
Comedy
Synopsis
Shurik, a somewhat naive student from Moscow, goes to the Caucasus to study local folklore. Once there, he is conned into helping a trio of petty criminals kidnap their friend Nina, who has been married off by her uncle to a powerful bureaucrat for money. When the truth is revealed, Shurik cannot find help, since nobody believes his story, and he tries to free the girl himself. After a bit of deception he rescues Nina and wins her heart.
Trivia
–Leonid Gaiday has been arguably the most popular Russian comedy director for decades. In the late 1990s he visited cinemas to see what people thought of his work. “You wouldn’t believe it. They're laughing at the same jokes,” he said to his wife afterwards.
–The film was initially banned from the screen. But Leonid Breznev accidentally saw it and gave it the green light.
–The comedy trio portrayed by Nikulin, Vitsin and Morgunov appear in other movies by Gaiday, as does the character Shurik.
