Oleg Yankovsky Movies
Set during the Russian Civil War of the 1920s, Two Comrades Were Serving follows two soldiers, one of whom was formerly a photographer, who use a newly acquired French camera to capture images of enemy fortifications from the air. What sounds like a relatively easy mission turns into a war-time adventure that neither of them will forget. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oleg Yankovsky, Rolan Bykov, (more)
The award-winning director Andrei Tarkovsky, (one of his better known films is Andrei Rublev), the son of a famous Russian poet, was born in 1935 and grew up in and around Moscow during the Second World War. This non-linear autobiographical film is considered by many Russian-speakers to be his best film and is his most personal meditation on time, history and the Russian countryside. In a series of episodes and images, he captures the mood and feeling of the period just before, during and after the war. Lyrical reminiscences of his mother and of his father's poetry figure large in the film, along with extraordinary images of nature. Combining black-and-white and color work, with some unusual documentary footage, this highly regarded movie is structured with the logic of a dream. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margarita Terekhova, Anatoli Solonitsin, (more)
- 1975
In this officially recognized film, which won the State Prize of the Soviet Union, the inadequacies of the Soviet system are to a certain degree acknowledged. This alone provoked some interest in the film at the time of its release, in 1975. Based on the very popular and prize-winning play by Aleksandr Gelman, it tells the story of a group of factory workers, led by Potapov, (Yevgeny Leonov ) who uncharacteristically refuse to accept a pay bonus because it is clearly in error. They know this because the entire factory has consistently been run in a slipshod manner. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yevgeny Leonov, Vladimir Samoylov, (more)
- 1976
Because of many good deeds the Finns did for Lenin prior to the Russian Revolution, their persistent desire for independence from Russia was permitted. In one instance, Finns helped Lenin escape from the police during a journey he took in 1907. Lenin's affection for the country was reinforced during his frequent journeys through Finland. This historical epic, featuring both documentary and fictional footage of the founding Soviet leader, chronicles the Finnish struggle for independence and explores the basis for trust between Finland and the Soviet Union. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirill Lavrov, Margarita Terekhova, (more)
- 1976
The parallel tribulations of two women are the theme of this drama. After suffering horribly from the actions of her boyfriend, a young woman is brought to trial after trying to kill him and then herself. Unfortunately, the ruthless boyfriend persuades her to incriminate herself on the witness stand. The girl's defense lawyer provides the parallel story, as a woman preparing to marry her live-in lover. Premarital family meetings tell the story of their lives together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marina Neelova, Oleg Yankovsky, (more)
- 1976
Near the close of the Russian Civil War, in 1923, a young man begins studying journalism at a worker newspaper and has a series of romantic adventures which cause him to mature swiftly. He rescues a beautiful girl from an abusive family situation, only to lose her to a smooth-talking sharpster the first time he has to leave town on assignment. Another much nicer and more principled girl is really in love with him, but he doesn't know it. This bittersweet coming-of-age story was based on a novel by Vera Panova. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yelena Proklova, Yelena Koreneva, (more)
- 1977
This comic melodrama follows a gentle, simple and sweet woman, played by Natalia Gundareva, as she seeks to live a decent life. Though she has a couple of passionate lovers, and has had a son, she has been unable to pair up with anyone in order to experience the domestic side of life as a couple. Aside from a weakness for chocolates (she works in a candy factory), she has no overwhelming vices, and is only slightly overweight. As she grows into middle age, however, she is beginning to feel quite lonely and isolated. This growing sense of melancholy is highlighted during her trip back to her provincial home to bury her mother. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalya Gundareva, Svetlana Karpinskaya, (more)
- 1977
No relation to the 1985 British film of the same name, the Russian The Shooting Party was based on an Anton Chekhov story. Most of the film takes place on the estate of Count Volsky, where the lovely Olga is forced into a loveless marriage with Volsky's overseer. Standing wistfully on the sidelines is provincial magistrate Petroff, who loves Olga but dares not speak up. Petroff's inability to express himself at the right time, coupled with Olga's inevitable fall from respectability, results in tragedy. The Shooting Party was previously filmed in Hollywood in 1944, under the title Summer Storm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Galina Belyayeva, Oleg Yankovsky, (more)
- 1977
The moral consequences of character are the perennial focus for this film's director Ilia Averbakh, who trained and worked as a physician before becoming a filmmaker. In this psychological drama, Zina (Svetlana Smirnova) is an extremely selfish and manipulative adolescent. She befriends her schoolteacher Vera Ivanova (Irinia Kutpschenko) and shares certain confidences with her, such as reading Vera's love-letters. When she inevitably has a falling-out with Vera, Zina effortlessly and thoughtlessly causes Vera much pain by using the information she has gained to attack her where it hurts. Oblivious to the harm she has caused, Zina travels with her schoolmates to summer camp. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irina Kupchenko, Svetlana Smirnova, (more)
