Vasiliy Toporkov Movies

A uncommonly modest effort from Russian "epic" director Vladimir Petrov, the 40-minute Jubilee is adapted from a play by Anton Chekhov. The story concerns a pompous bank director named Shipuchin (Victor Stanitsin), who makes elaborate preparations to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his firm. His plans are ruined thanks to the ill-timed gossip spread by his gabby wife Tatiana (Olga Androvskaya).

~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Morozko is a curious Soviet Cinderella yarn with a macabre twist. The heroine is the stepdaughter of a nasty old woman who gives the girl hell on an hourly basis. Eventually, the poor child is cast out of the house and into a blinding snowstorm. She is rescued by a handsome and wealthy young man, returning to her stepmother's home elegantly gowned and bejeweled. Figuring that lightning will strike twice, the old hag sends her own pampered daughter out in the snow, with instructions to land a rich husband. Instead, the real daughter freezes to death. The title refers to a magical Jack Frost-type character who rewards the deserving and punishes everyone else. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi