Which Soviet Movies to Watch and Why?
Soviet movies as a window into Soviet reality and a bridge to modern Russian culture
It went almost unnoticed that awhile ago Mosfilm started uploading movies onto YouTube with English, Spanish and French subtitles. Mosfilm is one of the largest movie studios, established in Soviet times and continues to be a key movie producer nowadays. At @Mosfilm_eng you can watch Soviet movies and newer releases with subtitles in your language—for free. Older films were restored to have quality compliant with modern standards (HD).
Budgets and technical abilities in the USSR were scarce, so movies relied mostly on the plot and actor play. It is a known fact that limitations boost creativity, very true so for Soviet movie production. The Soviet Union established a unique filming tradition and developed a generation of renown actors and directors. That is to say, watching Soviet movies, do not expect plots with the dynamics of Hollywood production. Soviet cinematography is a thing of its own.
Thirty years after the collapse of the USSR, the generation of screenwriters, actors and technical professionals who propelled the Soviet motion picture industry are all gone. Soviet movie tradition has been lost forever and what came to replace it, how to say it politely, in my subjective view, does not hold up to any critics.
I was surprised to discover that the current generation of young Russians (roughly 30 and younger) are completely lacking any experience of Soviet cinematography. Many of the movies, which people of my generation, born in the USSR, consider iconic, young Russians simply do not know. Three decades from now, the USSR, as we remember it, will vanish, turn into a myth, together with all its cultural heritage, including movies.
Why watch Soviet movies? Soviet movies provide a window into the ordinary lives of Soviet people. It allows us to glimpse life in the USSR, to understand the realities of the Soviet Union, aspirations and challenges of Soviet people.
Another solid reason to watch Soviet movies is to grasp the historical and cultural roots of Russians aged, around, say, 45 and older. Soviet culture comprises a large part of what we call nowadays modern Russian culture. The current population of Russians inherited their culture from those Soviet years. Watching Soviet movies reveals the origins of many cultural traits and pieces of Russian lifestyle you can witness these days.
It is worth mentioning that movies released before 1970s mostly cater to Soviet propaganda. Many of those are true masterpieces, yet, they were means of spreading messages of Soviet doctrine. That said, Soviet life in those movies is polished to portray realities of USSR as better, brighter, heroic, to reach goals of the propagandistic agenda.
In the 1970s you see a notable shift towards realism in screenplays, to a degree of being blatantly true. Watching movies of the 70s and 80s I just can not decipher how censorship allowed it to be shown to the public. Some of them are downright critical of the deficiencies of the Soviet system and portray Soviet life as it was, meaning not always positive.
Unfortunately, some of the movies I would recommend still do not have subtitles in foreign languages. I hope, however, they will become available soon. Some of the good movies were not produced by Mosfilm. But even with what's available, watching all the movies on the list will provide you with a valuable insight into the Soviet past, lifestyle, character and mentality that ex-Soviet people carried to modern Russia.
Movies that I see as valuable for understanding Soviet culture and lifestyle:
"Garage"
"Family Relations"
"Afonya"
"The Most Charming and Attractive"
"Railway Station for Two"
"Love and Doves"
"Office Romance"
"The Irony of Fate"
"The Red Snowball Tree"
"Forgotten Tune for the Flute"
Simply good pieces of Soviet motion picture, which also incorporate bits and pieces of culture, but their value is primarily in the plot and entertaining aspects:
"The Golden Calf"
"Welcome or No Trespassing"
"Mimino"
"The Twelve Chairs"
"Gentlemen of Fortune"
"Kidnapping, Caucasian Style"
"The Girls"
"The Diamond Arm"
"Carnival Night"
"Watch Out for the Automobile"
"Moscow Does not Believe in Tears"
"Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession"
"Solaris"
The list as you can see is pretty vast, so if you decide to give each movie a try, it will keep you at the screen for a while. As you understand, the list above is based on my own taste and preferences. Did you watch any Soviet movies you can recommend? Why do you recommend them?
P.S. The photograph above is a monument "Worker and Collective Farmer," a symbol of Mosfilm, appearing in the beginning of all its movies.
Which is the film where they are at a camp in the woods? There is a little blonde actress who is a real spitfire. She ends ends up hooking up with this one man in the end.
Thank you for the list. I have watched Office Romance, parts 1 and 2; Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. Also, The Thief.