Lyudmila Tselikovskaya Movies

The second part of Sergei Eisenstein's baroque chronicle of the legendary Russian czar was originally planned as a three-part epic. But Eisenstein had battles with Russian censors over the second part of his trilogy, ostensibly because of a negative depiction of Ivan's secret police force (Stalin feared that Eisenstein was making a veiled reference to himself). Although filmed shortly after Part One in 1946, the film was suppressed and was not released until 1958. In the meantime, Eisenstein, who died in 1948, never completed his project, spending most of his time defending himself before Stalin and his censor boards. Part Two takes up the story of Ivan the Terrible (Nikolai Cherkasov) upon his return to Moscow from Alexandrov. Ivan must deal with a group of unfriendly boyars and becomes even more insulated after his mother is poisoned and an assassination plot is uncovered. The black-and-white film ends with a luminous color banquet scene. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

After so many Russian WWII melodramas flooding the American market, the lighthearted Soviet comedy Twins should have been a refreshing change of pace. The title characters are a brace of abandoned babies, adopted by working girl Luba (Ludmilla Tselikovskaya). The presence of two squalling infants sorely tests the patience of Luba's friends, neighbors and landlady. The plot thickens as various interested parties -- two of whom may be the twins' parents -- converge upon her tiny apartment. Ultimately, Twins transforms into a propaganda piece which postulates that every Soviet citizen is responsible for the welfare of the young and helpless. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After so many Russian war documentaries and propaganda films, it must have been refreshing for Soviet audiences to relax with the musical-comedy frivolities of Taxi to Heaven. The storyline is the standard "two guys in love with one girl" saw, the "guys" in this case being opera singer Svetlovidov (Georgi Spiegel) and civilian transport pilot Baranov (Mikhail Zharov). Both are vying for the affections of pretty Natasha (Ludmilla Tselikovakaya), who evinces a preference for the opera star. But when Baranov performs an act of conspicious courage on behalf of his country, Natasha changes her mind. A bit ragged production-wise, Taxi to Heaven scores on its exuberance and lively musical content. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Valentina Serova, one of Russia's favorite postwar leading ladies, heads the cast of Four Hearts. Serova and Ludmilla Tselikoskaya play Galina and Shura, giddy young sisters who fall in love with each other's boyfriends. Dozens of song numbers later, the tangled romantic webs are straightened out. On the whole, the ladies are more appealing than their male counterparts (Eugene Samoilov and Peter Springfield), who seem stiff and self- conscious. The sheer ebullience of Four Hearts compensates for the muddled plotline, which was reportedly just as confusing to Soviet audiences as it was to American filmgoers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide