Andrei Ilyin Movies
A young girl searching for her prince charming instead falls for a stern skipper in screenwriter/director Yuri Kuzin's screen adaptation of Gennadiy Shpalikov's story (The Wharf). Life in Katya's small provincial town is slow, and though she may be hoping in the dark, the idealistic young girl can't help but anticipate the arrival of a fantasy man to sweep her up and take her to places she's never imagined. When a salty seaman arrives in town and Katya falls deeply in love, reality offers a stark contrast to her lifelong dreams of romance. Yet despite some initial doubts, Katya soon feels the true bond of love forming after spending an unforgettable night in Moscow with her newfound prince. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yevgeny Sidikhin, Karina Razumovskaya, (more)
- 1995
The irony of the title becomes apparent at the story's end in this lively Russian comedy that follows the daily lives of four young people living in a suburban Moscow hostel in 1950 when Stalin's regime was at its peak of power. The foursome are all attending the Art Institute and spend their free-time, of which they seem to have plenty, playing games. All of them are terribly poor, but they treat this as a kind of game, spending their energy involving themselves in affairs rather than fretting about the things they lack. They also enjoy playing practical jokes, some of them quite nasty, upon one another. Among their many games is one in which a student uses a secret radio to pretend he is "the Voice of America." In another scene, a student gets on the air and announces a new socialist welfare plan. This leads the authorities to question another student who in terror bursts into hysterical tears. Eventually, Stalin's secret police capture each of the youths and have them cruelly executed. In the final scene though, the four are seen running free upon the streets of Moscow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrei Ilyin, Gennady Nazarov, (more)
- 1992
In this tragicomedy, Lt. Poletaev (Yevgeny Mironov) is an irrepressible character. Even the grim character of service in the Red Army following World War II isn't enough to dampen his spirits. Instead, he keeps things lively by accompanying the base's chorus on his accordian, and by attempting to get women to join the chorus. He succeeds in both his quests. Not only that, but one of the woman singers (Irina Rozanova) and he have a nice little romantic spark going. It's too bad that she's the live-in lover of his boss, Col. Vinogradov (Valentin Gaft). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valentin Gaft, Irina Rozanova, (more)
- 1991
By 1922, the bloom was off the rose of the Bolshevik Revolution, and people were adjusting to food and housing shortages and ever-increasing poverty. In a symbolically parallel development, a young man has optimistically married an extremely beautiful woman, filled with dreams of happily-ever-after. Instead, she almost immediately beds his best friend and then becomes a high-class prostitute while he looks on helplessly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Andrei Ilyin, (more)
