Russian Movies: A Must See List
Living in another country can sometimes make you feel a little different.
Why are they doing it this way? Why are they being like that? Is something wrong with the way I act? All these questions may seem very relative to those who is going to leave his or her country for a long period.
As far as I am concerned that movies help us understand another culture best of all, that is why I made this a “must watch” list.
Let us get more into it. Most of the movies from the list were made in 1970’s – 80’s in the time of the Soviet Union. It was the time when censorship was not so strict anymore. A great deal of household dramas, comedies and movies about war had appeared. Going to the cinema became a popular after-work time spending. That is why even now these movies remain popular. Many people that were born in USSR get very nostalgic watching them.
The irony of fate (1975)
A group of friends has a tradition of going to the banya (bathhouse) every New Year, but once everything goes very wrong.
Russians have a tendency to watch the movie every New Year. In some families it has even became a tradition.
Moscow does not believe in tears (1980)
Three provincial women move to Moscow to achieve their goals. Each of them has her own unique story. The movie received a very prestigious award – Oscar.
A dog’s heart (1988)
The movie is based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel where a professor and his colleague decide to do an experiment and transplant human organs into a dog. The results turn out to be impressive and unexpected.
Russian Sherlock Holmes (1979)
This version of Sherlock is considered the best by British people; the main actor Vasily Livanov was awarded by the Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth the Second.
The diamond arm (1969)
A very well-known movie where smugglers try to transport jewels to the Soviet Union but accidentally choose the wrong person (Semyon). Semyon appears to be a kind naive family man who is very far from the crime world. It makes the movie even more funny; the main actor Yuri Nikulin is a famous Soviet and Russian actor.
Kidnapping, Caucasian style (1967)
A young anthropology student Shurik comes to the Caucasus to study local culture and then accidentally gets to know Nina. The plot of the movie is built on a Caucasian tradition that a groom has to steal a bride before marrying her.
Ivan Vasilievich: back to the future (1973)
A fantastic comedy about a usual Soviet man that travels back to the period of Ivan the Terrible, while an actual tsar appears in the modern time.
Although, all those movies were made quite a long time ago, they show Russian culture very well and are dear to every Russian person. So, if you truly want to understand our culture, start with watching movies from the list.
Text by
Daria Smirnova