Iya Savvina Movies
- 1983
This semi-realistic comedy-fantasy by director and co-writer Georgi Danelia features a lower-level bureaucrat who snaps on the way home from work after a particularly stressful day at the office -- and begins to let loose what he really thinks, no matter the consequences. As his wife is talking on the phone, he grabs the receiver and hangs it up -- she is addicted to talking on the phone and this has always bothered him. His son-in-law and daughter use the television set as a babysitter for the man's granddaughter, and so he blows off steam at them too, demanding his son-in-law go out and find a job. Then he leaves and, after some minor adventures, heads to the office the following morning where he tells everyone else off -- all the petty crooks who take or give small bribes for favors. Although in the end he cannot stand life at all and tries several versions of suicide, he fails miserably each time and finally talks to his granddaughter on the phone who seems to have a remedy for him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yevgeny Leonov, Iya Savvina, (more)
- 1982
Mikhail Ulyanov is the Bergmanesque protagonist of the Russian Private Life. A government-appointed factory executive, Ulyanov is reduced to quivering confusion when he is dismissed. Recovering from this blow, he decides to review and realign his life. In so doing, he discovers that there's plenty left in the world to make life worth living. Private Life was nominated for the "best foreign picture" Academy Award in 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mikhail Ulyanov, Iya Savvina, (more)
- 1977
In the eternal world of teenagers Yelena Proklova plays Nadya, a girl being wooed by a persistent youth. Her family life is unsettled and unhappy, and the two of them spend much of their time deep in conversation, walking through the city. Her distress on learning that her mother has a terminal illness leads her to seek comfort in his arms. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergei Nagorny, Yelena Proklova, (more)
- 1976
Loosely based on Vladimir Mayakovsky's satirical play about little people with overarching ambitions, this officially sponsored film mixes puppetry, live action and cartoons in order to tell its story. Organized in a highly self-referential style, and created in the form of a story-within-a-story, it tells simultaneously of the auditions for a role in a film, shows the film itself, and mixes in real and made-up documentary clips of a historical nature. Moving from 1920's music in the style of Kurt Weill into a rock-operatic mode, it is a fast-paced melange of symbolism, style, and storytelling. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Galina Volchek, Iya Savvina, (more)
- 1974
This Russian romance, with a story reminiscent of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, was very popular at the time of its release. It was well-acted, and did not particularly extol the virtues of the Soviet system. Throughout the film, the storyline is punctuated with shots of a trumpeter (Innokenti Smoktunovsky) playing into the dawn air. As the film opens, Sergey (Yevgeny Kindinov) and his girlfriend Tanya (Yelena Koreneva) are cavorting, undressed, in the water. They are lovers. Though Sergey must fulfill his military obligation in the Navy, they expect to marry afterward. When he later goes missing during a rescue mission, Tanya is inconsolable. However, her family persuades her to marry Sergey's best friend Igor Volgin (Alexander Zbruyev). When Sergey reappears, alive and well, Tanya is glad to see him but will not leave her husband for him. He suffers enormously from this but later takes his life in a new direction. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yevgeny Kindinov, Yelena Koreneva, (more)
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)
After several previous attempts by foreign directors who miss the mark, this Russian film version of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel Anna Karenina most accurately follows the Tolstoy novel and remains superior to all other versions to date. It concerns the struggle of a woman to find her place in Russian society. Anna (Tatiana Samoilova) is shunned by society when she leaves her older husband and small son for the dashing young cavalry officer Vronsky (Vassili Lanovai). The officer is torn between his love for Anna and his social and military responsibilities. Bolshoi ballet star Maia Plisetskaya is the noble Princess who at first helps Anna, then turns her back on her. Anna is caught between the worlds of high society and privilege and the downtrodden peasants who are victimized by the economic elite. She tries desperately to follow her heart as she is harshly judged by society for trying to find her place. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tatiana Samoilova, Nikolai Gritsenko, (more)
- 1967
Andrei Konchalovsky produced this movie as his vision of his own country. His use of realism juxtaposed with personal flourishes renders what would otherwise be a simple love triangle into a political statement. The story of a young lame girl who has become pregnant by an essentially inept and irresponsible young man who will not marry her and her choice to have her child and raise it by herself rather than giving herself to a marriage with a man who loves her and will raise the child as his own are seen as a metaphor of the Soviet Union - with the child symbolizing the Soviet future. This makes the movie take on an entirely different quality than that at first glance, but even if you don't look beneath the veneer, the movie is excellent and the performances are all five-star quality. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iya Savvina, Alexandr Surin, (more)
- 1966
The award-winning The Girl and the Bugler was originally released in Russia as Zvonyat, Otkroyte Dver. Aimed at a youthful audience, the film details the adventures of Lena Proklova, who develops a crush on scout leader Victor Belokurov. She first spots Victor during a concert given by bugler Rolan Bykov, who seems to cast a magic spell with his musicianship. Eventually, Lena's heart is broken by her dream lover's supposed unfaithfulness. So lightweight that it threatens to float into space at any moment, The Girl and the Bugler is a delight for all ages. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yelena Proklova, Rolan Bykov, (more)
