Comedy. The picture of famous Soviet directors Alexander Zarkhi (shot the best film adaptation of "Anna Karenina" in 1967) and Joseph Heifitz ("My Dear Man" in 1958, "Big Family" in 1954), and in the thirties they were just starting their creative journey together, and even then they were noted for their works, one of which we will consider it today. And I looked at this picture on the recommendation of an experienced film critic who is well versed in Soviet cinema. I looked - and was not disappointed. And here's my brief opinion for you - The bright love of a tanker and a student. I will note right away that I did not notice the minuses in the picture, but there are some comments that I will describe in a separate paragraph, but for now I will focus your attention on the pros of this comedy.
So, here they are:
1. Scenario - a tank brigade of the Red Army arrives in a small provincial Soviet town, which excites all residents. One of the commanders, Mikhail Belokon, is settled in the house where a young student of the agricultural college Tonya Zhukova lives. Since both heroes are young, the feeling flares up instantly, but not everything is so simple, because these are the thirties - the time of the formation of the greatest generation in the history of mankind - the generation of builders of communism, who will face many trials. The party, family, friends - everything leaves its mark on the feelings of the heroes. Add here Tony's friends, Belokon's wayward colleagues, while all these characters are bright and interesting, and memorable, simple everyday dialogues, all this is seasoned with humor, a predictable ending - and you get a fairly strong everyday history of those years, which was not too different from reality. If you are tired of monotonous romcoms or melodramas, then this comedy will surprise you pretty much (especially if you haven't watched a movie of the thirties before). The story turned out to be beautiful and memorable.
2. The Thirties - I haven't seen a lot of paintings of that time, but this one quite accurately conveys the life and moods of those years. People's hopes and dreams. This is especially clearly shown by the example of Tony. The uniforms of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were transmitted with documentary accuracy (after all, there was a military consultant). The tanks shown are real (mostly BT-2, which were then in service). All sorts of household trifles, portraits of Lenin (but there is no Stalin for some reason?). All this will be interesting even from a historical point of view. And in terms of atmosphere, all this does its job. There is not even pathos in the picture, which is inherent in all Soviet cinema of that time, and this is even surprising.
3. Humor - do not hope for wild laughter and laughter, because here the viewer will be amused by funny situations and ridiculous moments in which the characters of the picture will fall. Well, not bad, although there are a couple of memorable moments (a bet, a date). Personally, I often had a slight smile creeping up, but I managed to laugh openly only twice. It's a pity, I would like more, because it's a comedy.
4. Acting - here I can only praise, because everyone tried, from the main characters to the extras, who appear in the frame for just a few minutes. Of the secondary heroes, I can mention Yanina Zhaimo ("Cinderella" in 1947) and the genius of reincarnation, who always occupies the first line - Nikolai Konstantinovich Cherkasov ("Alexander Nevsky" in 1938), whom I barely recognized again, and then thanks to his loud voice and tall stature, who plays a lagging student here.
A little bit about the main characters:
1. Mikhail Belokon, performed by Nikolai Simonov, is a tank commander who always fails. A determined person, a workaholic who does not have enough time for everything else, which is why he almost overlooked his happiness. Nikolai Konstantinovich coped superbly with this role, and it was this success that influenced his participation in the grand epic "Peter the Great" in 1938. Bravo!
2. Tonya Zhukova, performed by Tatiana Okunevskaya, is a young college student who dreams of becoming an agronomist and thereby benefiting the Soviet Homeland, but the arrival and settlement of Belokon violate this idyll, because the girl falls in love with the hero without looking back, and he does not seem to notice it. A beauty that you will fall in love with - and you will never forget it, while she is modest, but sometimes bold. I kiss a pen to you Tatiana Kirillovna!
Now about some remarks. In a couple of places, there are mounting glues (I do the installation myself, so this case is familiar to me), and even an ordinary viewer can notice it. What was there? Maybe a bad shot? Or a phrase about Stalin? History is silent. The humor turned out to be not as funny as I had hoped, because even in the "Restless Household" there were much more funny moments, I'm not talking about funny situations, and here all this is not enough.
At the same time, it is important to note that for the thirties, innovative techniques were used here, which have long been an invariable attribute, for example, combined filming, the most modern cameras with excellent optics at that time. This picture was even purchased for rental in the USA. So they were proud!
As a result, we have a good comedy about the life of Soviet people of the thirties, with a good script, a light atmosphere, and great acting.
My rating is 7 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
