Russian Films
From Lada Ray:
This is a new page, where I’ll be posting some of the best Russian movies, including Soviet blockbusters and masterpieces.
Victory Day Special: The Invisible War of WWII on Film
Metaphysical Fantasy/Comedy/Musical
Rating: 5 stars. A Commonplace Miracle (aka, An Ordinary Miracle) – Обыкновенное чудо (with English subtitles!)
One of the great Soviet films with an all-star cast, including Oleg Yankovsky, Irina Kupchenko, Andrey Mironov, Evgeny Leonov, Evgeniya Simonova, Alexander Abdulov, Yury Solomin, and very lovely music. By Mosfilm, 1978
Watch free on YT! Part 1 Part 2
War/Action
Rating: 4.5 stars. One of the famous Soviet movies about the Great War (WWII), with some humor and beautiful songs, as was common for Soviet films. The famous song, Smuglianka-Moldavanka, is from this movie. It is about both male and female pilots, whose units are located for a short while next to each other in the midst of the brutal war. Love, life and death go hand in hand.
Rating: 3 stars. A tribute to the Night Witches of the Great War. A beautiful score and some real footage of the “kukuruzniki” – the dinky crop dusters these women flew.
xnibiru6m posted this comment: “The Nazis called them ‘Night Witches’ because the whooshing noise their plywood and canvas airplanes made reminded the Germans of the sound of a witch’s broomstick. The Russian women who piloted those planes, onetime crop dusters, took it as a compliment. In 30,000 missions over four years, they dumped 23,000 tons of bombs on the German invaders, ultimately helping to chase them back to Berlin. Any German pilot who downed a ‘witch’ was awarded an Iron Cross. These young heroines, all volunteers and most in their teens and early 20s, became legends of World War II but are now largely forgotten. Flying only in the dark, they had no parachutes, guns, radios or radar, only maps and compasses. If hit by tracer bullets, their planes would burn like sheets of paper.” So begins a NY Times tribute to one of the most famous “Night Witches,” Nadezhda Popova, Popova, who flew 852 missions during the war, passed away this past year at the age of 91.”
They weren’t forgotten, at least not in Russia.
“А зори здесь тихие” – Dawns Here Are Quiet
Rating 5 stars. 1973. A very famous movie: not about pilots, but about female soldiers during the Great War, and their personal stories. They come from different backgrounds, some completely ill-equipped for war, but when the crisis situation requires their response, they all rise to the occasion and become true heroes. Some lovely nature scenes here as well.
Drama/Romance
Rating 5 stars. 1956. One of the most popular films from the ’50s. Odessa Movie Studio. Some of the movie was shot in Odessa, most was shot in industrial Zaporozhie, eastern Ukraine, including a giant steel mill footage. Very interesting in line with what’s going on today in Ukraine. A story of the unlikely love between a simple metal worker and a teacher at a secondary school for adults. Very nice songs.
Sorry, the movie was removed by YT.
My Street – a very nice song from the movie Spring on River Street. Улица родная – Весна на Заречной улице
Time Travel/Adventure
We are From the Future
Rating 4.5 stars. Newer Russian movie, 2008. A fantastic story of time travel by 4 young men, who don’t care about their country’s past and its heroes, and who make money by digging up and selling to foreigners its memory: they find WWII era battlefields and scavenge any trophies they can find. During one such treasure hunt, they dig out a war trench, but instead of returning home with valuables, they find themselves in the middle of a real WWII battle, where they first become German prisoners, and later Russian prisoners. Russians eventually believe that they aren’t the enemy, but they have to learn the hard way what their ancestors had to go through during the war. In the end, they make it back into their time, having learned their lessons – as very different men.
Sorry, the movie was removed by YT.
Masterpiece Russian Comedies
Mosfilm, which owns the copyright, doesn’t allow posting of their videos. Unfortunately, the most famous Russian comedies from Mosfilm are also blocked on the American continent by YT, so I can’t even post links here so you could watch them on YT. This is something new. I don’t know if this is Mosfilm’s or YT’s doing. The best Russian comedies I am referring to are: Dgentelmeni Udachi – Gentlemen of Fortune (5+ stars); Brilliantovaya Ruka – the Diamond Arm (5+ stars); Kavkazskaya Plennitsa – Kidnapping, Caucasus Style (5+ stars); Ivan Vasilievich Meniaet Professiyu – Ivan Vasilievich Back to the Future (5+ stars); Operatsiya Y – Operation Y (5+ stars); Beloe Solntse Pustini – White Sun of the Desert (action thriller, also called an “Eastern”) (5+ stars). But all these are sold on Amazon with English subs.
Mosfilm allows viewership of some of the older all-star comedies. They don’t allow reposting, so I’ve posted links so you can watch these on YT.
5+ stars : Карнавальная ночь / Carnival Night, 1956 – comedy/musical about a New Year Celebration and a conflict between the old and the new.
4.5 stars: Веселые ребята / Jolly Fellows, 1934 – the very first Soviet comedy/musical about, well, jolly fellows. Cool, really. With English subs!
5 stars: Волга-Волга / Volga-Volga, comedy/musical. 1934-38. With English subs!
I’ll see if I can find other Russian comedies. There are more really, really stellar ones!
Oh, cool! The other studios are allowing to post their movies!
4 stars: Odessa Movie Studio – 1983. Thriller/comedy. Seriously, only Russians can make a comedy about the 1917 Revolution and 1918 Civil War in Odessa, and make it both funny and tragic at the same time. The humorously told story of a Russian intelligencia professor Patrikeev’s family living through the 1917 Revolution and subsequent Civil War, and what comes out of it. Almost 100 years to the day, and this movie mirrors almost exactly what’s going on in Ukraine and Odessa today. Cruel irony.
Зелёный фургон/ Green Carriage part 1
Зелёный фургон/ Green Carriage part 2
Mystery Thrillers
5 stars – The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed – Место встречи изменить нельзя
Odessa Movie Studio, 5-part series, 1980s. Blockbuster mini-series about the work of the Russian police (militsia) immediately after the end of WWII. Starring the legendary Russian singer/actor, Vladimir Visotsky.
I’m very sorry that these movies were also removed from YT.
4.5 stars – Spy thriller TV series: Mistake of the Resident. I wrote about it, as well as some other notable Russian movies regarding the white emigration and the CIA/MI6/German spies that came out of it, in my post: Open Letter from Descendants of the White Emigration Against Western Russophobia.
Part 1, 1968: Mistake of the Resident (full 2hr+ series 1 and 2)
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2:10:28
Part 2, 1970: Fate of the Resident (series 1 and 2 below)
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1:19:28 -
Part 3, 1982: Return of the Resident (full version):
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2:09:01
Hi Lada,
Just had a few questions about Russian Films. Most of the films that you have listed here don’t seem to be available with English subtitles, any suggestions? I looked up these movies and I can’t find them to purchase with English subtitles. I thought you might know where I could purchase them online.
Also, what do you think of films by Russian director, Nikita Mikhalkov? I just watched,
“Burnt by the Sun” and I thought it was OK. I was expecting more because it had won
an academy award (in the U.S.) for Best Foreign film in 1994 and a Cannes Grande Jury award. I also have a movie from him that I haven’t watched yet, “The Barber of
Siberia” and I was wondering if you have seen it and what you think of it. I had these
questions, because I didn’t see any of his films listed in your film section. He apparently, just won an award in Russia for a new film that just came out called
“Sunstroke”. Any guidance and information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Claude E. Kiesel
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Hi Claude,
1. Usually, Amazon sells Russian movies with English subs. But not all may be translated. Also, check YouTube. Some movies may be posted there for free with English subs. Time allowing, I will continue posting Rus movies on FuturisTrendcast blog. Check back soon.
2. I like Mikhalkov as a person and actor more that director. His best movies as director and actor were made during Soviet times. I can highly recommend ‘The Cruel Romance” – Zhestokiy Romance in Russian (sorry, don’t have Russian font). It’s very good, but just not the kind of movie I personally like. Too much personal drama. Burnt by the Sun is ok, as you said. The Oscar for that was political – isn’t everything the West does towards Russia and the rest of the world?
Haven’t seen The Barber or Sunstroke, and don’t plan to.
3. Do you have any genre preferences? I can highly recommend Night Watch and Day Watch by Bekmambetov (2000s) – it’s dark fantasy taking place in Moscow, but with a very hopeful and nice twist. Lot’s of interesting symbolism and effects. Definitely should be available on Amazon with Eng subs.
Also, look for ‘The Island’ = ‘Ostrov.’ It’s a 2000s very, very cool, somewhat esoteric film about a monk at a remote monastery, who is a mystic. Very good one and should be available with Eng subs as it got some major international awards.
There also was recently an excellent TV series based on Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. I don’t know if it has Eng subs – but VERY good. It used to be posted with Eng subs on YT. I’ll see if I can find it.
Also, my list of 5+ rated Russian comedies on FT – do check them out. They are very good.
There are so many really great movies. Whatever I can find on YouTube, I’ll post on FT overtime. Stay tuned.This is additional info from reader Nick re. Night Watch and Day Watch:
nick
From Russian film director: Timur Bekmambetov http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0067457/
…if you like fantasy, vampire, time-shifting, immortality, etc. sort of thingies…“Nochnoy dozor” 2004 (“Night Watch”) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/
“Dnevnoy dozor” 2006 (“Day Watch”) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/
I enjoyed these very much!
I found them very interesting on many different levels.
Not every person’s cup-of-tea!
But some of you might get a kick out of them!
Naturally, lots of different language subtitles for them on the DVDs, etc..
You can get in some practice with the Russian language 😉
Futurist Trendcast 
Great movies, for those who understand Russian.
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I have a feeling, not just because of these great movies, that it would be a good time to learn Russian :).
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I agree.
For years everybody was telling me “if you wanna survive the future you gotta learn the Chinese language”!
But, I’d say that learning the Russian language could be far more useful.
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Why not both 😉
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Both?!?!
Are you nuts?
Hey girl! Do you think I am a Lada Ray? 😉
I have this strange disposition where I love “foreign” languages, I love going through their basics, I love to look at their form & structure, etc. … alas, like many Anglo-culture folk, I have this really limited ability to actually learn the language!
On top of that, there is this voice inside me that constantly nags me saying, “Why, in the name of The Risen, do you wanna go learning languages when you already have the ultimate communication track possible in this multiverse: telepathy?”
But I still love to have a go at earth languages.
It’s fun 😉
And I have seen that one can really get a lot of insight into the specific culture of the natives of the language in question by studying their language.
As far as I understand, according to Endolinguistics this specific insight into a culture and its people gained through language study can have some rather profound ramifications.
Honestly, I’d love to have the Lada Ray comprehension of languages and your comprehension of the linguistic field in general 😉
Keep up your great work!
We love what you are doing!
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🙂
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Thanks for the list look forward to viewing these films
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Welcome!
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From Russian film director: Timur Bekmambetov http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0067457/
…if you like fantasy, vampire, time-shifting, immortality, etc. sort of thingies…
“Nochnoy dozor” 2004 (“Night Watch”) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/
“Dnevnoy dozor” 2006 (“Day Watch”) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/
I enjoyed these very much!
I found them very interesting on many different levels.
Not every person’s cup-of-tea!
But some of you might get a kick out of them!
Naturally, lots of different language subtitles for them on the DVDs, etc..
You can get in some practice with the Russian language 😉
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These are great movies. Highly recommended: 5 stars. Third one is Twilight Watch.
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Thanks Lada for your feedback. Yes, I haven’t liked Mikhalkov’s films much either. The Night
Watch and Day Watch films sound intriguing. I will definitely check them out as they seem to be on topics that I find of interest, particularly in these times of spiritual and cosmic battles. I like a lot of different genre’s in film, but I don’t find very many films in this spiritual/cosmic battle genre that are done very well. I’ll let you know what I think, but I already think I’ll like it having just watched the trailer.
By the way, I saw Dr Zhivago when I was a kid and it has always stayed with me.
Since you are of Russian background, I was wondering if you have seen it, and if so, what you thought of it?
Be well, Claude
Enjoy your postings!
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As far as Dr Zhivago films go, I totally disliked the old US-made one. It was inacurate and the architecture/facial expressions/movements/dress were ridiculous. The new one, British made, with Kiera Knightley, I liked. We even bought the video-set. I would give it 4-4.5 stars, I think. As to the book itself, I’ll be honest, it’s certainly not the most impressive book about the period. I started reading it and put it down, which is rare for me.
The truth is, the Nobel and other echolades in the West were political.
In Russia, we had much more formiddable and better written books about the Civil War. Same goes for movies. So many good ones. Perhaps I’ll post some links at one point.
For example, Sholokhov’s ‘And the Don Flows Quiet,’ both movie and book. I believe he also got a Nobel for that. Or ‘Beg’ = ‘Flight’ by Bulgakov – both book and movie. Also, a movie based on Bulgakov: ‘Days of the Turbins’ – make sure you get the old, Soviet-made one.
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Lada, I discovered a wonderful trilogy of films with Georgij Zhzhenov (Георгий Жжёнов). The films are Путь в «Сатурн» (Way into “Saturn”), Конец «Сатурна» (The End of “Saturn”), and Бой после победы (The Battle after the Victory). They are from 1968 and 1972.
The first two films are about integration of a Soviet intelligence officer into German sub-division of Abwehr, “Saturn”, which was preparing saboteurs that were sent out against Soviet union during WWII. But it is the third film that completely fascinated me. WWII ends and the German officers are taken prisoner in the American zone, the Soviet intelligence officer is among them. He is about to disclose himself and return home, but suddenly the German officers are pulled from the POW camp and are formed into a division working on creation of saboteurs on the Soviet-controlled territory, as well as Baltics and Ukraine, by the American friends. And the Soviet officers continues to be undercover collecting information and trying to prevent a large sabotage operation on the day when Berlin is divided. The film is much more nuanced than what I describe here, with both Germans and Americans having flashed-out human characters.
There is one scene that caught my attention, when one of the Soviet generals in the centre says that, god knows, they did everything in their power to keep Berlin united. That’s in the film from 1972.
Lada, this film is something worth writing an extended article about, as it uncannily seems to echo the events of this years – rather the current result of something, that was started in 1945.
I found only short fragments of the third film on YouTube, while the first two can be found in full. None of them are, alas, translated.
The fragment below shows the opening and the first minutes of the film, when the retreating German convoy with documents carrying “Saturn’s” archives, learns about Germany’s capitulation.
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Good finds, Nemo. Posted your recent comments as a separate post: https://futuristrendcast.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/hoaxes-hoaxes-sevastopol-officer-in-syria-bbc-moon-landing-documentary-plus-must-watch-russian-films/
You know, I am thinking, you should consider writing some articles for my blog. Perhaps some interesting translations? Please let me know.
Sometimes I have an opening here and there for dates. Thanks 🙂
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“We Are From the Future” (Мы из будущего) in two parts on Rutube:
http://rutube.ru/video/4865051414e65330d0bcdfdd268e8c5d
http://rutube.ru/video/f6579565599813a7c9e7a83cfa11dfcd
There are also sequels 2 and 3 to this film.
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Thanks for all the great comments, Nemo. I posted ‘We are from the future’ on the Rus Films page once as one of the recommended movies, but it got deleted from YT, so I had to delete the link. Thanks for these new links.
Incidentally, part 2 of this film is – surprise!!- about Banderovtsi ukro-nazis and the stark prediction that there is a danger of them taking over Ukraine. That’s as far as I know, since I didn’t see part 2, but part 1 is great. At the time part 2 came out in mid to late 2000s, it drew a lot of criticism that the author was anti-Ukrainian, that it was slander against Ukraine, etc.
Now, a few years forward, and what do we have? The movie’s prediction completely coming true. Bandera ukro-nazis taking over Ukraine, the whole nine yards. And the rise of patriotism in Russia as well – also a big theme in this film.
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