History, legacy, and visuals of Soviet Cinema
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📽️The Dawns Here Are Quiet, directed by Stanislav Rostotsky, starring Andrey Martynov and Irina Shevchuk, was released in the Soviet Union on this day in 1972.
The best Soviet films of 1981, as voted by readers of Soviet Screen magazine:
1. Could One Imagine?, dir. Ilya Frez
2. O Sport, You Are Peace!, dir. Yuri Ozerov, Fyodor Khitruk, Boris Rychkov
3a. Youth of Peter, dir. Sergei Gerasimov
3b. At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds, dir. Sergei Gerasimov
4. Teheran 43, dir. Alexander Alov and Vladimir Naumov
5. Once Upon a Time Twenty Years Later, dir. Yuri Yegorov
6. Squadron of Flying Hussars, dir. Nikita Khubov and Stanislav Rostotsky
7. Particularly Important Task, dir. Yevgeni Matveyev
8. The Last Escape, dir. Leonid Menaker
9. To the Stars by Hard Ways, dir. Richard Viktorov
10. On His Motherland Service, dir. Latif Faiziyev
11. Sashka, dir. Aleksandr Surin
12. Return Move, dir. Mikhail Tumanishvili
13. The Uninvited Friend, dir. Leonid Maryagin
14. I'll Take Your Pain, dir. Mikhail Ptashuk
📽️I Am Cuba, directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, starring Sergio Corrieri, Luz María Collazo, and Raúl García, was released in the Soviet Union on this day in 1964.
🎂Anatoli Papanov, Soviet theater and film actor, People's Artist of the USSR, was born on this day in 1922. He was best known for his roles in the films The Living and the Dead (1964), The Diamond Arm (1968), Belorussian Station (1970), Gentlemen of Fortune (1971), 12 Chairs (1976), and many others.
The most popular Soviet films of 1960, ranked by theater admissions:
1. Far from the Motherland, dir. Alexei Shvachko (42M)
2. The Maiden’s Spring, dir. Benjamin Dorman and Genrikh Oganisyan (34.3M)
3. Resurrection, Mikhail Shveitser (34.1M)
4. Love Must Be Cherished, dir. Sergei Sploshnov (33.9M)
5. Northern Story, dir. Yevgeni Andrikanis (31.3M)
6. Ivanna, dir. Viktor Ivchenko (30.2M)
7. Virgin Soil Upturned, dir. Aleksandr Ivanov (30.1M)
8. The Quarrel in Lukashi, dir. Maksim Ruf (29.5M)
9. Midshipman Panin, dir. Mikhail Shveitser (28.9M)
10. Lullaby, dir. Mikhail Kalik (28.8M)
Similarly, the famous Soviet comedy director Leonid Gaidai released his own version of The Twelve Chairs in 1971.
And in 1976, director Mark Zakharov's mini-series adaptation was released.
All these films were adapted from the satirical novel written by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov published in 1928.
I’m introducing the greatest Mel Brooks movie you’ve never seen, “The Twelve Chairs,” this Sunday night at the Egyptian. It’s his most underrated work - a masterpiece from 1971 - the film he made between “The Producers” and “Blazing Saddles.” We’re showing a beautiful rare 35mm print - it’s the final presentation in the Cinematheque’s Mel Brooks Film Festival. 7pm - get tix here: americancinematheque.com/now…
Dmitri Shostakovich on Eisenstein and Dovzhenko:
"Among my creative achievements, I should mention one more: the release of Eisenstein’s film October. A. A. Kholodilin compiled a score for it using my compositions. I have seen the film; my music enhances it to some extent, though I do not care for the film itself. In fact, I do not understand why Eisenstein--or Dovzhenko, for that matter--are considered geniuses. I simply do not like their creative work. This is likely due to some shortcoming in my own judgment, given that those in the know consider them geniuses."
-Letter to Isaak Glikman on August 30, 1967.
