Aug 24 2022
Last week I shared Elyer Ishmukhamedov’s first film, Tenderness, and this week let’s ride this summer feeling again with another film by Ishmukhamedov, Lovers. Lovers (Влюбленные) is a 1969/1970 film that portrays a summer of friendships, drama, and romance in Uzbekistan. Ishmukhamedov has his own strange way of capturing the beauty of the season, especially in …
Aug 17 2022
Full of the vibrant energy of the outdoors and whimsical romance, Tenderness (Нежность, Nezhnost) was director Elyer Ishmukhamedov’s first major film, made in 1966-1967, and set in summertime in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At its release, the film won awards at the International Week Of Asian Film Festival in Frankfort and at the Locarno Film Festival. Tenderness was …
Jun 22 2022
The Scarlet Flower (Аленький цветочек, Alenkiy tsvetochek) is a popular Russian folktale based on Sergey Aksakov’s rendition of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Similar to the traditional tale, it begins when a merchant father, Stepan Yemelyanovich, asks his three daughters what gifts they would like from his travels. The oldest daughter, Gordeya, wishes for …
Jun 01 2022
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, and much like Norstein’s animation Tale of Tales, Mirror (Зеркало, Zerkalo) is another stream of consciousness film that strings together memories. The film is not meant to symbolize anything, but rather uses intuition as a means of expression. The main character, loosely based on Tarkovsky himself, is a dying poet contemplating his …
May 04 2022
Yuri Norstein gives us a clever, stylized public service message in this 1969 short cutout animation, Children and Matches.
Apr 27 2022
Walking the Streets of Moscow (Я шагаю по Москве, Ya shagayu po Moskve) is a lighthearted look at everyday city life in Moscow for youth in the ’60s. We see an opening scene in the airport, city sidewalks in the rain, taxi rides through the streets, evening traffic flows, and a concert in Gorky park. …
Jul 14 2021
Ballerina on the Boat is a wonderful summer-y animation about a ballerina who takes a ride on a ship and dances about, practicing her moves at the delight and distraction of the crew. It is a lovely, humorous, and leisurely voyage until a storm comes, which leads to a surprise ending. There is no need …
Jun 16 2021
In this eerie animation, a nuclear bomb hits a California town, and only one house is left standing, an automated house with robots. The people did not survive, but the robots who cook, clean, and take care of everything continue with their daily routines long after the humans are gone. Finally, the robots are also …
Feb 17 2021
February 20th is National Love Your Pets Day, so be sure to lavish some extra attention on your fur babies today and show them how much you appreciate the love they bring. For this special Soviet Film Wednesday, here’s a heartwarming tale about a cat left on the side of the road. The cat wanders …
Feb 05 2020
This month the Criterion film channel is featuring Soviet director, writer, and actress Larisa Shepitko. You can now watch two of her most acclaimed films, Wings and The Ascent, as well as the full introduction to the director on Criterion. The 1966 film Wings (Krylya) concentrates on a highly decorated female fighter pilot in World War …
