Lyudmila Gurchenko Movies
- 1984
A showcase for the talents of leading actress Lyudmila Gurchenko, this drama is entertaining largely because of her abilities as a singer, dancer, and dramatic actress. She plays Lera Goncharova, a star of musicals whose one desire is to perform in a serious dramatic piece. Lera seems to gotten her chance when director Shevtsov (Oleg Tabakov) is looking for someone to star in his new production. Aplodismenty, Apoldismenty, directed by Viktor Buturlin, won the prize for Best First Film in the 1985 Soviet Film Awards in Minsk. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyudmila Gurchenko, Oleg Tabakov, (more)
- 1983
Sergei Makarov's (Oleg Yankovsky) behavior is the focus of this seriocomedy about a man who is in no way aggressive or embittered although he may never find a place where he "belongs." Sergei has a wife and child and a mistress yet he is not completely happy with these relationships. He also works in an engineering complex and flirts with one of the women there -- who like everyone else, treats him in a patronizing way. His behavior, to the adults around him, is rather childish -- it is as though Sergei has not fully grown up, but people are not unsympathetic to him. Just as he takes flight in his dreams, he also "takes flight" in reality -- unable to see from the perspective of others. When his mistress threatens to leave him, for example, he falls down with the heavy melon he is bringing to her and she rushes to see if he is okay -- then he kisses her. After various escapades, one involving a police chase, Sergei celebrates his birthday party -- a large outing in the countryside. The issue at stake is that he is now 40 years old and unlike most adults at that age, he seems unable to leave his childhood behind, and by the standards of his own society, should have already accomplished "something" in life. This film by director Roman Balayan created a lot of discussion and a good response in the USSR when it was released in the early 1980s. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Yankovsky, Lyudmila Gurchenko, (more)
A bittersweet love story between a pair of middle-aged people takes center stage in this 1982 Russian drama from director Eldar Ryazanov. After meeting by chance at a train station, Platon confesses to Vera that he'll soon be taking a legal fall for a crime his uncaring wife committed. Though romance blossoms between the two, Platon's inevitable trial and jail sentence hang over their relationship. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this lengthy romantic comedy, a married pianist runs away from a traffic accident and seeks refuge at an enormous railroad station where he experiences a string of bad luck. But the pianist also meets an older waitress (Lyudmila Gurchenko and the two -- after a long preamble -- start a romance of sorts. A certain amount of satire on the social system and its foibles, as well as slightly erotic segments, and the acerbic train conductor played by Nikita Mikhalkov (an Academy Award-winning director) are a surprise in this otherwise routine interlude at a train station. This was a popular film when released in the USSR because of the two lead actors, but it does not quite come up to the previous standards of director Eldar Ryazanov. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Basilashvili, Lyudmila Gurchenko, (more)
- 1982
The ancient port of Odessa is the setting for this zany comedy about a woman's love for a mechanic in the merchant navy who stands her up on the day they are to register their intended marriage with the city. The jilted woman, Margerita (Ludmilla Gurchenko) is a photo-lab worker who had been ready to take a chance on a second marriage until her fateful rejection. She is so faithful to her fickle lover that she waits all day at the registrar's doorway, hoping he will show up. At the end of the day, resigned to her fate, she goes into town where her interactions with those she meets have good effects. When she runs into an old boyfriend, she does not encourage any renewed liaison since she still loves the mechanic. Towards the end of her story, the mechanic (Sergei Shakurov) unexpectedly comes back into the picture and suddenly, life may not be quite as desolate as she had first imagined. Both Ludmilla Gurchenko and Sergei Shakurov (a former athlete) are two of the most popular actors in Russia, and their presence, as well as the up-beat tenor of the story helped make this film quite popular on its release (18.4 million viewers). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyudmila Gurchenko, Sergei Shakurov, (more)
