"They don't usually have sexual content *by modern standards* ..." Keywords are "modern standards", as the scene from "Operation Y" that was shown just before this line (1:18) ends with _very_ mature joke (and was considered quite sexual by USSR standards).
Love these Beginner's Guides! For one, they're a great reminder that movies are not only Hollywood or Disney, but that so many nations have or had their own filmmakers and studios. And it's interesting to get insight into different nations, their culture and history and their arts and how artists influence each other across national borders. ❤
If you haven't seen it yet, try "Heart of a Dog". It's based on a novel by Bulgakov and contains a fair bit of very smart social criticism. One of the best Soviet movies in my opinion.
I would argue about "smart" social satire. Bulgakov's novel was clever, because there was no unambiguous division into good and bad. And in the film adaptation, they showed a flat political campaign, where there is definitely a good intellectual who is tormented by caricatured Bolsheviks. Liberal reforms were underway in the country and it was customary to depict the entire past in black.
Definitely not because Bulgakov depicted this when the the Soviet regime was on the rise and he have seen it. The movie is the gold in itself, especially with Evstigneev depicting professor, with every year the movie gets better as aged wine. I love to rewatch it with my mom.
The professor is nothing more than a pompous peacock who is “suffering morally” in a seven-room apartment while the entire country works to recover from the civil war. And he also says that he hates working people. You couldn't find a more vile character.
@@ИванСмирнов-й8н5ш I haven't read the book, but in the movie Preobrazhensky is a villain and Shwander is a good guy (though not perfect). It is not immediately obvious but that comes more clear the more you think about their actions instead of how they are portrayed.
Thank you so much for doing the research and putting this together. As both an amateur enthusiast of Soviet history and a lover of film from all times and places, this is a treasure trove.
@@kubricklynch A question for you, have you seen Soviet Mary Poppins adaptation? It has REALLY good music in it, basically all the songs are still popular hits
Sir, I am impressed by your knowledge and your dedication and your work on these ones. As the native watcher I must add some few things, though. Please don't take them as somehow offensive. I am just adding, not correcting what you have already said. Ryazanov also made another memorable, excellent comedy in the early 1970s titled Stariki-razboyniki (Old men-robbers) which is very touching, tear-jerking and nice, overall. It is a warm comedy about treating the old people, about old men and women who still feel young but are not perceived that way in the society. One of the greatest movies by Daneliya was 1975's Afonya (familiar diminutive for a male name Afanasy). The most watched movie of the year! Full of nice songs and music, as well. There was also Lyubov i Golubi (Love And Pigeons/Doves) by an Oscar-winning director Menshov. The big hit in the USSR, as well! Love And Pigeons is half drama with woman's hysterics and such stuff, but is still a half comedy, too. The very late 1980s also gave two unforgettable comedies full of music and songs: The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines (western-themed comedy about spreading the movie industry in the wild west's USA) and musical comedy The Seaside Boulevard (filmed in Odessa, Ukrainian sea resort city). Highly recommended for anyone interested! There was a classic Soviet hit "Hello, I'm Your Aunt!" based on Brandon Thomas' play. A very chamber feel (low budget is obvious), but great acting and nice atmosphere. The beginning 10 or so minutes feature famous silent movie frames of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, etc. There was a notable Soviet 2-part interpretation of Three Men In A Boat. While the movie loosely followed the book and featured three additional female travellers and even a light foot fetish moment, it is still a curious variation of the classic novel. Among the lesser known ones, there was a truly great comedy "Seven brides of corporal Zbruyev" about a retired corporal selecting a future wife among 7 candidates. There were also several movies featuring and created by the famous Soviet comic duo Tarapunka and Shtepsel from Ukraine. Among them were: 1953's Tarapunka and Shtepsel under the clouds ruclips.net/video/Px7mEJ2PEGs/видео.html 1957's Shtepsel organizes Tarapunka's marriage ruclips.net/video/jYKZjArAQq4/видео.html and especially the two-part The Mockanical Adventures Of Tarapunka and Shtepsel ruclips.net/video/7gf9UIx8_Dg/видео.html Finally, there was a nice little known satirical comedy Zaychik (Little-hare; the last name of protagonist, a shy theatre worker).
@@kubricklynchthe popularity of the movie in post-ussr is often measured by it's quotability. Sometimes people born in soviet era use quotes as a serious and valuable part of cultural code. It's a really important part of whether movie is recognized as a part of culture, or simply "there".
@@kubricklynch I am here also to ad up. Grigori Gorin is a writer, that provide a lot of successful comedy, very popular in domestic region. His influence on a culture is HUGE. A lot of quotes become popular idioms across post-soviet territories. Some of his works was filmed. You def should check them. Cause he is a master of situation comedy. Here they are: - O bednom gusare zamolvite slovo 1981. "Put in a word about poor Hussar" directed by Eldar Ryazanov with Eugeniy Leonov in one of the main comedic/dramatic roles. Quote: "It was a time when the best minds thought, but were silent because they were gagged, and the worst ones talked, although, by the way, they could have kept quiet…" - Formula lubvi 1984. "The formula of love" directed by Mark Zakharov. - Tot samiy Myunkhgauzen 1980. "The same Munchausen" directed by Mark Zakharov. Quote: "A serious face is not a sign of wisdom. Smile, gentlemen, smile." "At first we planned celebrations. Arrests after that. Then we decide to combine". - Obiknovennoe chudo 1979. "Ordinary Miracle" writed&directed by Mark Zakharov. Quote: "I`ve been chasing you for three days to tell you how much I don`t care about you!"
One important director of light-hearted fare from the silent Twenties on was Boris Barnet (1902-1965), whose films 'The Girl with a Hatbox' (1927) and 'The House on Trubnaya Square' (1928) remain two of the most famous Soviet comedies from that decade.
I would like to add «Wedding in Malinovka» (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_in_Malinovka ) and «Balzaminov's Marriage» (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balzaminov%27s_Marriage ) to the list. And btw there is another version of «The Twelve Chairs» - four-part TV series from 1976.
@@kubricklynch I can't help but mention that *Mimino* 14:05 is my single favorite film of all time, which is saying a lot. Only I'm not sure how well it would work with outsider audiences not versed in Georgians and Armenian nuances and peculiarities.
What about 'Come Tomorrow'? One of the most unique and funny films, and there's nothing else like it. Yes, it would rely heavily on a good translation, which is probably the reason why it isn't known abroad, but still... There's also 'Balzaminov's Wedding'
10:00 Irony of Fate, Gentlemen of Fortune and Carnival Night were all often shown on ex-Soviet TV for New Year eve, it became something of a tradition. Other popular choises: Home Alone, Die Hard, Fifth Element.
In Russia, they showed us Home Alone on The Channel One, but now the license to show it has expired((( And so it was really shown almost every year, first 1 part in one day, and the next day the second... Also, all parts of Harry Potter could be shown on the STS (СТС) channel, also after the New Year)
Thanks for the overview! I've watched almost all of these films here on YT courtesy of Mosfilms and some other channels. Big fan of the Shurik films, plus I'm constantly urging everyone to see TAKING A WALK IN MOSCOW, CARNIVAL NIGHT (what a surprise that one was!), and the wonderfully weird KIN-DZA-DZA. The time travel film with Ivan the Terrible was on continuous loop at a Russian restaurant in Austin, TX for years; took me awhile to find the complete film, but it's a hoot. If you haven't seen it, check out CHESS FEVER (1925), a Soviet silent film starring Vladimir Fogel, who also starred in BED AND SOFA (1927).
Try to check out(I don't know about translation) the movie "Don't fear, I am here" (Не бойся я с тобой) 1981. Some director saw Jackie Chan and tried to imitate, rather successfully. Beware of the modern remake, which is a concentrated junk.
12 Стульев лучше у Марка Захарова, а не Гайдая. В главной роли А.Миронов. Ну и "Золотой теленок" - в роли Остапа Бэндера - Юрский. Фильм старый, но переплюнул все комедии.
As a Georgian myself, I can safely say that this is a really awesome video that does a ton of justice to these immensly underrated and awesome movies. I think you should've talked about Georgian comedies a bit longer as there are some really awesome gems in there, but the subtle mention of Veris Ubnis Melodiebi (Melodies of the Vera District, at least that's my rough literal translations) and talking about Mimino was more than enough for me :>
Soviet movies are total comfort food. Yes, there were some political limitations and they were all PG 13, but as George Lucas said, they had so much artistic freedom. I feel like Soviet films had less interference than western movies from their studio execs.
As a russian I enjoy Soviet movies, music, animation and culture in general. One of my favourite things in films - the representation of women. Just look at the contrast of the women in USA/Europe cinema and in soviet pictures.
Soviet movies portray women as intelligent. They simply mirrored real life. It was common to have a women as director, as they were seen as good at multitasking. Its hard to explain them in western terms, such as giving them positive traits associated to males. They were always an important part of the plot, not a plot device, but a grounding force, the reason for why the hero even does what he does.
6:00 let me disagree with you here. After the fall of USSR Gaidai made only one film, "Na derebasovskoi horoshaya pogoda", but it was a classic of early 90th cinema that spawned as many memes as his previous works.
I would like to add that before Operation Y, Gaidai made Businesspeople- anthology adaptaion of three of O. Henry short stories- one dramatic and two comedic. It is also considered a classic film in Russia.
I watched many of these movies as a teenager. Man this episode was nostalgic, will definitely rewatch and check out the movies of first three directors.
This might just be me, but I notice the film picture quality is really high for a lot of these movies. There's something about it that just makes it pop and look almost a tad bit modern. I'm no film student so it might just be me, haha.
Physical film is made of silver dots that capture light or something like that. The fact is that they're the rough equivalent to 8k digital resolution, so a well preserved film will look beautiful with proper digitalization techniques
The most popular Soviet comedies are definitely The Diamond Arm and The Striped Trip (Polosatyui Reis). You'll see them on Russian TV very frequently, especially during the holidays.
If someone looking for really authentic movie (not just one with soviet setup, which is indeed authentic by itself). Kin-dza-dza, mentioned at 14:40 imho is really very unique one. It could resemble mad max, but only by desert environment and some of design choices. But actually it's very surreal fairy tale. Very rare, truly bizarre experience (which is by the way are common for soviet sci-fi literature). Also, if i remember correctly, you mentioned a dog's heart in a video about sci-fi. Which is also actually a good comedy. Just closer to satire. But in case, someone reading this - well, also a good movie, with more adult sense of humor. And of course video are great one even from perspective of a native.
I wouldn't call it fairy tale exactly. It is a true sci-fi, just in a very low-life setting. Poor devastated planet figuratively revolves around couple of marvelous gadgets
"Ne goruyi!" Не Горюй! 1968 by Danelia is one of the best movies of all time! Buba Kikabidze, Frunzik Mkrtchian and a bright tapastry of characters. also 1947 "Золушка" Cinderella, is pretty hilarious! with great Faina Ranevskaya as Stepmother! "There lived a dog" Жил был пёс , short animated movie, personal recomendation
I absolutely love Daneliya movies, his best work imo is "Tears Were Falling" 1983 (Slyozy kapali), a movie about a mid-life crisis essentially in a shell of fairytale for adults. His earlier work "Thirty Three" 1965 is a masterpiece of a satirical comedy heavily ridiculing soviet system with what was called back then "fig sign in a pocket" (since you couldn't make a straight-forward satire of soviet system for obvious reasons).
i watched a few videos of yours that came to my feed and im so glad you made this video! im a huge foreign fan of soviet comedy, seeing a video about it in a language i understand rather than the usual russian makes me beyond overjoyed. have you ever looked into any of karen shakhnazarov's films? he's the current head of mosfilm and he makes great films too, the ones i've seen so far lean more to drama genre-wise but they have comedy elements as well. i wouldnt say he's my favorite though, he directed the film "we are from jazz" (mosfilm uploaded it on youtube under the title "jazzmen" iirc) which features two different kinds of blackface, and that makes me more fascinated in the soviet cinema's representation of black people, having watched "circus" by grigori aleksandrov just recently. i mean, isn't it crazy that mosfilm made a movie in the 1930s about ussr's acceptance of racial diversity but they made a movie in the 1980s depicting blackface? this might be a good theme for a future video that you may or may not pick up. regardless, love your vids!
Russians did not have a history or tradition of mocking black people like Jim Crow performances, so black face wasn't considered as something deliberately offensive. It was strictly utilitarian in nature due to lack of professional black actors and, frankly, black people in general in the USSR. When filmmakers had an opportunity they used black actors (mostly children) like in 1952 Maksimka (the boy was a son of a black US sailor from Lendlease convoys and a russian mother) or 1936 Circus you've mentioned, but those were rare. In all truth the instances of black face use in soviet cinema were considered somewhat ridiculous by the viewers, as noone in their right mind would confuse smeared in shoe polish Vysotsky from "Сказ про то, как царь Петр арапа женил" for a black person. So no racist connotations, people just worked with what they had.
Kaljo Kiisk was the MVP! I had the opportunity to meet him in person and what a great man he was! My favourite film of his is called "Hullumeelsus (Madness)" which depicted a nazi officer going to investigate a hint of a soviet agent hiding inside an asylum. Living among the crazy he started to lose his own sanity and the movie takes many unexpected turns.
I'd also recommend you to try "Deja-Vu", a 1989 film with a Polish director and main actor, a Soviet screenwriter, and filmed in USSR with almost entirely Soviet cast. Its story takes place in mid-1920s Odessa. So it quite fits the "Soviet comedy" theme, and personally I think it's pretty good, perhaps inspired by Gaidai's style. And yeah, I've seen it on YT with eng subtitles, on the Odessa cinema studio channel if I'm not mistaken, hopefully it's still out there.
You didn't mention "The meeting place cannot be changed" one of the most iconic after war uSSR movies @Место встречи изменить нельзя@ and another one is the "17 moments of spring" about russian spy in Germany, one of the best soviet era movies And the thanks for "Mimino", it is georgian word meaning "The Falcon"
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Thank you for the video. It's very interesting to see how somebody who didn't grow in that environment perceives those films. A couple of minor points: (1) Even though Eladar Ryazanov's films are more direct in criticizing Soviet system (especially Garage) Gaidai's films do that as well but they are more covert about it. For example in Operation Y during negotiations between the storage facility manager and the three stooges to stage a fake robbery, the manager says that there won't any criminal charges because EVERYTHING is already stolen thus implying that quite a widespread corruption among bureaucracy that is appointed to safeguard common property. Another example is in Diamond Arm where building supervisor forces tenants to purchase government lottery tickets and threatens to switch off the gas if they refuse. (In Soviet multifamily building gas was used to cook and heat up water to wash). Hearing those threats one suddenly realizes that a regular Soviet citizen has very little recourse against even somebody with such a low level of authority as a building supervisor. The key phrases used in the conversions I referenced above became cultural references in Soviet society because of the seemingly innocuous but actually very sarcastic deeper meaning. (2) In Operation Y it's not an English sound Y but the Russian letter Ы. Usage of this specific letter in this context is funny because naming a secret operation with one letter implies a word acronym but there are no Russian words starting with letter Ы.
Prohibitionists in Russia are now blaming Carnaval Night for it's affect on alcoholism spreading. Mostly on it's supposed creation of a tradition for drinking champagne at the New Year celebrations.
Soviet comedies are very much tied to the Soviet realities of that time. It is difficult to understand and appreciate humor if you are not immersed in that environment. So it's not surprising that they are not very popular in the West. There were exceptions with a universal plot. For example, "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia." But there are few of them.
Боже, что за бред? Во-первых, если ты не родился и вырос в Штатах, то это означает что 80% всех смыслов, включая юмор в голливудских фильмах проходит и мимо тебя. И ты никогда не сможешь всё это понимать, если только не поставишь это целью своей жизни. Однако ничего, как то большинство умудряется же смотреть их кино, не понимая по сути там ничего. Для примера как то с коллегой из Штатов смотрели "Теорию большого взрыва", он начал делать пояснения, оказалось никто не считывал с 2/3 серии, это при том, что все что называется в теме: и инженеры, и книги по теории супер-струн читали ещё подростками, и СтарТрек смотрели вообще весь и по -нцать раз, и прочее-прочее, т.е. на голову выше среднестатистического обывателя в этом плане, однако оказалось, что всё гораздо глубже и завязано на местную культуру по факту абсолютно не известную за пределами страны, там и отсылки к каким-то фильмам 1930х, к речам каких-то политиков 19,18 веков, каким-то забавным событиям местного значения местных Зажопинсков, какие-то поговорки и так далее. Во-вторых, советское просто никуда не пускали. Не для того Железный занавес они опускали, чтобы культуру пускать. У ЦРУ целый отдел был, который с 1960х занимался исключительно одним - борьбой с советской культурой. Типичный пример: в какую-нибудь страну привез СССР для местного музея выставку, картины или драгоценности. Ага, это культура. Штаты тут же напротив организуют концерт куда сгоняют всех топовых звезд, ну и привозят ещё что-нибудь более интересное, со всех стран. Главное как можно больше народа оттянуть с советской выставки. И вот так постоянно. Другой пример, провели опрос в Мексике, мол как относитесь к левым. Оказалось большинство относится нейтрально. Нейтрально! Тут же были выделены средства и скуплена местная кинокомпания, крупнейшая в Латинской Америке. После чего она гнала сугубо анти-левые фильмы, ну и новости (тогда телевизоров не особо было, новости крутили в кинотеатрах). Так что какие ещё «советские фильмы не особо нравились»? 😂 Их не пускали, а если пускали поливали так, что стыдно было пойти, а если и пошел, то стыдно было похвалить. Окстись, ты как с другой планеты.
Gaidai's humor relied too much on the everyday context of the Soviet system and could THEREFORE not be understood, let alone appreciated, by foreigners... 😏
It would be nice if you list the names of the movies in English instead of writing them in Russian with Latin letters. You might as well just put the Cyrillic up
14:52 that scy-fi story is about Ukranian-Russian conflict as same people are devided in two groups one of them the Pa-tzak's that is similiar to offencive Ukranian word the Ka-tzap's as deregotory term towards Russians (kinda like an N-word)
I understand you are trying to joke, but i want to be that guy and admit that for us, russians(and other post-soviet nations) SU is definitely well know for cinema comedies. Theese films are still very popular and various funny quotes from them have become a part of our everyday speech.
Most of the USSR cinema was plagiarised from the Western, Asian, and other countries' cinema which looked like something new only in ussr in the absence of any competition. As such, they were regarded as good but never truly were.
@@John_.Cabell_.BreckinridgeI mean not really. Very limited amount of western cinema was shown (and of which bigger portion more was from France or Italy than the US). But it was often the case that movie makers (as media makers in general in USSR) had access to more smuggled media for "inspiration". A lot of people reinforce plagiarism narrative but movies in particular still got a different feel to them (acting is noticeably often more down to earth that in the US films). Though you can make a plagiarism claim to 80-90 soviet and post soviet rock music and it holds more ground.
Thanks for a very informative video. Of all the movies you mentioned, the only one I've seen is "Hussar's Ballad". It was shown in a LGBT film festival in Buenos Aires. I completely forgot it was a musical. 😅
Здравствуйте. Это ошибка, что фильм "гусарская баллада " Считать и показывать для сообщества лгбт. В этом фильме нет намёка на лгбт. Не знаю почему многие решили что там есть для лгбт. На мой взгляд фильм совсем о другом смысле.
It has nothing to do with LGBT or transgender. The girl wanted to fight for her land which was impossible for a woman in 1812 and, probably, also follow her fiancé to the war.
Автору посоветовал бы не вставлять в каждое предложение "коммунизм". Это идеология партии, а не общественно-политический строй. Используйте слово "советский".
23:28 'Chasing two hares' comes from a saying 'Chasing two hares you wont catch either'. The movie is based on a play of same name.
Interesting fact: in Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia, Andrei Mironov did all the stunt tricks himself.
"They don't usually have sexual content *by modern standards* ..." Keywords are "modern standards", as the scene from "Operation Y" that was shown just before this line (1:18) ends with _very_ mature joke (and was considered quite sexual by USSR standards).
The diamond arm came as close to it as it gets
Love these Beginner's Guides! For one, they're a great reminder that movies are not only Hollywood or Disney, but that so many nations have or had their own filmmakers and studios. And it's interesting to get insight into different nations, their culture and history and their arts and how artists influence each other across national borders. ❤
If you haven't seen it yet, try "Heart of a Dog". It's based on a novel by Bulgakov and contains a fair bit of very smart social criticism. One of the best Soviet movies in my opinion.
I would argue about "smart" social satire. Bulgakov's novel was clever, because there was no unambiguous division into good and bad. And in the film adaptation, they showed a flat political campaign, where there is definitely a good intellectual who is tormented by caricatured Bolsheviks. Liberal reforms were underway in the country and it was customary to depict the entire past in black.
Definitely not because Bulgakov depicted this when the the Soviet regime was on the rise and he have seen it.
The movie is the gold in itself, especially with Evstigneev depicting professor, with every year the movie gets better as aged wine. I love to rewatch it with my mom.
The professor is nothing more than a pompous peacock who is “suffering morally” in a seven-room apartment while the entire country works to recover from the civil war. And he also says that he hates working people. You couldn't find a more vile character.
One of my most favorite soviet movies alongside with Kin Dza Dza.
@@ИванСмирнов-й8н5ш I haven't read the book, but in the movie Preobrazhensky is a villain and Shwander is a good guy (though not perfect). It is not immediately obvious but that comes more clear the more you think about their actions instead of how they are portrayed.
Thank you so much for doing the research and putting this together. As both an amateur enthusiast of Soviet history and a lover of film from all times and places, this is a treasure trove.
Thank you! More Soviet videos are coming.
@@kubricklynch A question for you, have you seen Soviet Mary Poppins adaptation? It has REALLY good music in it, basically all the songs are still popular hits
Sir, I am impressed by your knowledge and your dedication and your work on these ones. As the native watcher I must add some few things, though. Please don't take them as somehow offensive. I am just adding, not correcting what you have already said.
Ryazanov also made another memorable, excellent comedy in the early 1970s titled Stariki-razboyniki (Old men-robbers) which is very touching, tear-jerking and nice, overall. It is a warm comedy about treating the old people, about old men and women who still feel young but are not perceived that way in the society.
One of the greatest movies by Daneliya was 1975's Afonya (familiar diminutive for a male name Afanasy). The most watched movie of the year! Full of nice songs and music, as well.
There was also Lyubov i Golubi (Love And Pigeons/Doves) by an Oscar-winning director Menshov. The big hit in the USSR, as well! Love And Pigeons is half drama with woman's hysterics and such stuff, but is still a half comedy, too.
The very late 1980s also gave two unforgettable comedies full of music and songs: The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines (western-themed comedy about spreading the movie industry in the wild west's USA) and musical comedy The Seaside Boulevard (filmed in Odessa, Ukrainian sea resort city). Highly recommended for anyone interested!
There was a classic Soviet hit "Hello, I'm Your Aunt!" based on Brandon Thomas' play. A very chamber feel (low budget is obvious), but great acting and nice atmosphere. The beginning 10 or so minutes feature famous silent movie frames of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, etc.
There was a notable Soviet 2-part interpretation of Three Men In A Boat. While the movie loosely followed the book and featured three additional female travellers and even a light foot fetish moment, it is still a curious variation of the classic novel.
Among the lesser known ones, there was a truly great comedy "Seven brides of corporal Zbruyev" about a retired corporal selecting a future wife among 7 candidates.
There were also several movies featuring and created by the famous Soviet comic duo Tarapunka and Shtepsel from Ukraine. Among them were:
1953's Tarapunka and Shtepsel under the clouds ruclips.net/video/Px7mEJ2PEGs/видео.html
1957's Shtepsel organizes Tarapunka's marriage ruclips.net/video/jYKZjArAQq4/видео.html
and especially the two-part The Mockanical Adventures Of Tarapunka and Shtepsel ruclips.net/video/7gf9UIx8_Dg/видео.html
Finally, there was a nice little known satirical comedy Zaychik (Little-hare; the last name of protagonist, a shy theatre worker).
Thanks for adding that context!
Many of those I read about but just excluded so the video wouldn’t be an hour long. But I hope to check them out later.
@@kubricklynchthe popularity of the movie in post-ussr is often measured by it's quotability. Sometimes people born in soviet era use quotes as a serious and valuable part of cultural code. It's a really important part of whether movie is recognized as a part of culture, or simply "there".
@@kubricklynch I am here also to ad up.
Grigori Gorin is a writer, that provide a lot of successful comedy, very popular in domestic region. His influence on a culture is HUGE. A lot of quotes become popular idioms across post-soviet territories.
Some of his works was filmed. You def should check them. Cause he is a master of situation comedy.
Here they are:
- O bednom gusare zamolvite slovo 1981. "Put in a word about poor Hussar" directed by Eldar Ryazanov with Eugeniy Leonov in one of the main comedic/dramatic roles.
Quote: "It was a time when the best minds thought, but were silent because they were gagged, and the worst ones talked, although, by the way, they could have kept quiet…"
- Formula lubvi 1984. "The formula of love" directed by Mark Zakharov.
- Tot samiy Myunkhgauzen 1980. "The same Munchausen" directed by Mark Zakharov.
Quote: "A serious face is not a sign of wisdom. Smile, gentlemen, smile."
"At first we planned celebrations. Arrests after that. Then we decide to combine".
- Obiknovennoe chudo 1979. "Ordinary Miracle" writed&directed by Mark Zakharov.
Quote: "I`ve been chasing you for three days to tell you how much I don`t care about you!"
@@feelcollins9191 And how could you forget Dragon, one of his best works and definitely the most relevant.
One important director of light-hearted fare from the silent Twenties on was Boris Barnet (1902-1965), whose films 'The Girl with a Hatbox' (1927) and 'The House on Trubnaya Square' (1928) remain two of the most famous Soviet comedies from that decade.
I discovered Soviet comedy movies during the Lockdown
Absolutely hilarious and entertaining 👌
what is your favourite?
@@Temmie_Dola all the Leonid Gaidai movies are my favourite
Ivan Vasilievich Changes his Profession would be the best for me
I would like to add «Wedding in Malinovka» (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_in_Malinovka ) and «Balzaminov's Marriage» (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balzaminov%27s_Marriage ) to the list. And btw there is another version of «The Twelve Chairs» - four-part TV series from 1976.
"Aphonya" is basically the Soviet man's "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling
😂
Office Romance is such a great movie
It was definitely one of my favorites I watched for this video.
One of the greatest!
@@kubricklynch10:14 the passenger on the right site is the director Eldar Rysanov. He loved making short appearances in his films
I love rewatching it over and over when I feel upset
@@kubricklynch I can't help but mention that *Mimino* 14:05 is my single favorite film of all time, which is saying a lot. Only I'm not sure how well it would work with outsider audiences not versed in Georgians and Armenian nuances and peculiarities.
What about 'Come Tomorrow'? One of the most unique and funny films, and there's nothing else like it. Yes, it would rely heavily on a good translation, which is probably the reason why it isn't known abroad, but still...
There's also 'Balzaminov's Wedding'
10:00 Irony of Fate, Gentlemen of Fortune and Carnival Night were all often shown on ex-Soviet TV for New Year eve, it became something of a tradition. Other popular choises: Home Alone, Die Hard, Fifth Element.
This tradition is still alive
Die hard wokrs great as New Year eve or Christmas movie
Wasn't as funny the 17th time...
But everything is better than drunk relatives arguing politics
In Russia, they showed us Home Alone on The Channel One, but now the license to show it has expired(((
And so it was really shown almost every year, first 1 part in one day, and the next day the second...
Also, all parts of Harry Potter could be shown on the STS (СТС) channel, also after the New Year)
Я помню как-то Аватара показали по первому каналу после нг
Other directors that should be mentioned are Mark Zakharov, Alla Surikova, Vladimir Menshov.
I'm going to talk about Zakharov on my next Soviet video, covering fantasy films.
Thanks for the overview! I've watched almost all of these films here on YT courtesy of Mosfilms and some other channels. Big fan of the Shurik films, plus I'm constantly urging everyone to see TAKING A WALK IN MOSCOW, CARNIVAL NIGHT (what a surprise that one was!), and the wonderfully weird KIN-DZA-DZA. The time travel film with Ivan the Terrible was on continuous loop at a Russian restaurant in Austin, TX for years; took me awhile to find the complete film, but it's a hoot. If you haven't seen it, check out CHESS FEVER (1925), a Soviet silent film starring Vladimir Fogel, who also starred in BED AND SOFA (1927).
Try to check out(I don't know about translation) the movie "Don't fear, I am here" (Не бойся я с тобой) 1981. Some director saw Jackie Chan and tried to imitate, rather successfully. Beware of the modern remake, which is a concentrated junk.
Gaidai’s films are by far the most popular Soviet films in the ex-Soviet countries, my personal favourite Soviet film is "12 chairs".
12 Стульев лучше у Марка Захарова, а не Гайдая. В главной роли А.Миронов. Ну и "Золотой теленок" - в роли Остапа Бэндера - Юрский. Фильм старый, но переплюнул все комедии.
4:12 that joke wad hillarious
Mimino was a hood classic
its still is
I freaking love Propala Hramota, glad that you've included it
As a Georgian myself, I can safely say that this is a really awesome video that does a ton of justice to these immensly underrated and awesome movies. I think you should've talked about Georgian comedies a bit longer as there are some really awesome gems in there, but the subtle mention of Veris Ubnis Melodiebi (Melodies of the Vera District, at least that's my rough literal translations) and talking about Mimino was more than enough for me :>
I would have loved to talk about them longer, but Georgian comedies were very hard for me to find English subtitles for.
@@kubricklynch Yeah, this is a big problem. Not much English compatability with these movies.
Soviet movies are total comfort food. Yes, there were some political limitations and they were all PG 13, but as George Lucas said, they had so much artistic freedom. I feel like Soviet films had less interference than western movies from their studio execs.
I'm so glad you made this video, gonna send it to my friends asap
Awesome, thank you!
0:31 What a satyr on Tarantino!
🤣🤣🤣
As a russian I enjoy Soviet movies, music, animation and culture in general. One of my favourite things in films - the representation of women. Just look at the contrast of the women in USA/Europe cinema and in soviet pictures.
А что с ними не так?
@@AndKalashnikovнаоборот. С ними все так
Exactly. Just look at prisoner of the Caucasus as a single example, it paints a good picture
How does it differ?
Soviet movies portray women as intelligent. They simply mirrored real life. It was common to have a women as director, as they were seen as good at multitasking. Its hard to explain them in western terms, such as giving them positive traits associated to males. They were always an important part of the plot, not a plot device, but a grounding force, the reason for why the hero even does what he does.
6:00 let me disagree with you here. After the fall of USSR Gaidai made only one film, "Na derebasovskoi horoshaya pogoda", but it was a classic of early 90th cinema that spawned as many memes as his previous works.
I would like to add that before Operation Y, Gaidai made Businesspeople- anthology adaptaion of three of O. Henry short stories- one dramatic and two comedic. It is also considered a classic film in Russia.
Ooh! I remember that! "Bolivar cannot carry double."
I watched many of these movies as a teenager. Man this episode was nostalgic, will definitely rewatch and check out the movies of first three directors.
This might just be me, but I notice the film picture quality is really high for a lot of these movies. There's something about it that just makes it pop and look almost a tad bit modern. I'm no film student so it might just be me, haha.
That's film for ya! Digital isn't always the highest quality
Physical film is made of silver dots that capture light or something like that. The fact is that they're the rough equivalent to 8k digital resolution, so a well preserved film will look beautiful with proper digitalization techniques
Pretty sure he is using remastered/recolored versions.
Author here is using remastered versions of the films. You can find them free to watch here on RUclips, with English subs. Sometimes in 4k.
В позапрошлом году проявил отснятую 20 лет назад плёнку кодоак некоторые кадры были пересвеченны ещё тогда ребёнком не знакомым с параметром выдержки.
The most popular Soviet comedies are definitely The Diamond Arm and The Striped Trip (Polosatyui Reis). You'll see them on Russian TV very frequently, especially during the holidays.
Вместе с Иван Васильевич меняет профессию, Операция Ы, Кавказская пленница, Джентльмены удачи.
If someone looking for really authentic movie (not just one with soviet setup, which is indeed authentic by itself). Kin-dza-dza, mentioned at 14:40 imho is really very unique one. It could resemble mad max, but only by desert environment and some of design choices. But actually it's very surreal fairy tale. Very rare, truly bizarre experience (which is by the way are common for soviet sci-fi literature).
Also, if i remember correctly, you mentioned a dog's heart in a video about sci-fi. Which is also actually a good comedy. Just closer to satire. But in case, someone reading this - well, also a good movie, with more adult sense of humor.
And of course video are great one even from perspective of a native.
I wouldn't call it fairy tale exactly. It is a true sci-fi, just in a very low-life setting. Poor devastated planet figuratively revolves around couple of marvelous gadgets
best Gayday and Ryazanov films are endlessly rewatchable
Как ты классно Гайдая транскрибировал...
I liked Vostok-Zapad 😢
A powerful film!
"Ne goruyi!" Не Горюй! 1968 by Danelia is one of the best movies of all time! Buba Kikabidze, Frunzik Mkrtchian and a bright tapastry of characters. also 1947 "Золушка" Cinderella, is pretty hilarious! with great Faina Ranevskaya as Stepmother!
"There lived a dog" Жил был пёс , short animated movie, personal recomendation
I absolutely love Daneliya movies, his best work imo is "Tears Were Falling" 1983 (Slyozy kapali), a movie about a mid-life crisis essentially in a shell of fairytale for adults. His earlier work "Thirty Three" 1965 is a masterpiece of a satirical comedy heavily ridiculing soviet system with what was called back then "fig sign in a pocket" (since you couldn't make a straight-forward satire of soviet system for obvious reasons).
Kin Dza Dza is such an awesome movie. It is a pity it is not known abroad. Imo it deserves recognition more than Stalker or Battleship Potyomkin
i watched a few videos of yours that came to my feed and im so glad you made this video! im a huge foreign fan of soviet comedy, seeing a video about it in a language i understand rather than the usual russian makes me beyond overjoyed. have you ever looked into any of karen shakhnazarov's films? he's the current head of mosfilm and he makes great films too, the ones i've seen so far lean more to drama genre-wise but they have comedy elements as well. i wouldnt say he's my favorite though, he directed the film "we are from jazz" (mosfilm uploaded it on youtube under the title "jazzmen" iirc) which features two different kinds of blackface, and that makes me more fascinated in the soviet cinema's representation of black people, having watched "circus" by grigori aleksandrov just recently. i mean, isn't it crazy that mosfilm made a movie in the 1930s about ussr's acceptance of racial diversity but they made a movie in the 1980s depicting blackface? this might be a good theme for a future video that you may or may not pick up. regardless, love your vids!
Russians did not have a history or tradition of mocking black people like Jim Crow performances, so black face wasn't considered as something deliberately offensive. It was strictly utilitarian in nature due to lack of professional black actors and, frankly, black people in general in the USSR. When filmmakers had an opportunity they used black actors (mostly children) like in 1952 Maksimka (the boy was a son of a black US sailor from Lendlease convoys and a russian mother) or 1936 Circus you've mentioned, but those were rare. In all truth the instances of black face use in soviet cinema were considered somewhat ridiculous by the viewers, as noone in their right mind would confuse smeared in shoe polish Vysotsky from "Сказ про то, как царь Петр арапа женил" for a black person. So no racist connotations, people just worked with what they had.
Kaljo Kiisk was the MVP! I had the opportunity to meet him in person and what a great man he was! My favourite film of his is called "Hullumeelsus (Madness)" which depicted a nazi officer going to investigate a hint of a soviet agent hiding inside an asylum. Living among the crazy he started to lose his own sanity and the movie takes many unexpected turns.
I'd also recommend you to try "Deja-Vu", a 1989 film with a Polish director and main actor, a Soviet screenwriter, and filmed in USSR with almost entirely Soviet cast. Its story takes place in mid-1920s Odessa. So it quite fits the "Soviet comedy" theme, and personally I think it's pretty good, perhaps inspired by Gaidai's style. And yeah, I've seen it on YT with eng subtitles, on the Odessa cinema studio channel if I'm not mistaken, hopefully it's still out there.
thank you very much for a great video! благодарю и всего наилучшего!
Thanks for watching!
Будет обзор на диалогию Фантоцци ?
“Daneliya satirised Soviet life but in a gentler way…”
Meanwhile Daneliya: “Hold my Kin-Dza-Dza”
Каким местом нужно смотреть Кин Дза Дзу , чтобы решить что этот фильм высмеивает советскую жизнь?
@@777GHOST357 "Правительство на другой планете живёт, родной"
@@Choo-choo-chookcha *правительство планеты Плюк, которая репрезентирует вырожденный капиталистический мир
Даже сам дядя Вова это место кап.страной называет, а ты не уловил.
What? Are you stupid or stupid to understand Kin-Dza-Dza this way?
Of the “big three”, Ryazanov and Gaidai are certainly good directors, but Danelia is definitely a great one.
I'm a Russian, and I still watch with great joy Leonid Gaidai's comedies. The Diamond arm, Ivan Vassilyevich Changes Occupation and so on.
Krepkiy oreshek (1968), Koroleva benzakolonki (1962) starring Nadezhda Rumyanceva
Krepkiy Oreshek was a fun watch! "Hände - hoch, Hitler - kaputt... And so forth."
Estonia also have two more comedis: "Mehed ei nuta" (Men don't cry) and "Siin me oleme" (Here we are).
some skits from Operation Y are also used in Pirates of the Caribbean
What skits?
What about "Striped Trip"
Спасибо
Irony of Fate is such a great movie, wish more people knew about it outside the former USSR
You didn't mention "The meeting place cannot be changed" one of the most iconic after war uSSR movies @Место встречи изменить нельзя@ and another one is the "17 moments of spring" about russian spy in Germany, one of the best soviet era movies And the thanks for "Mimino", it is georgian word meaning "The Falcon"
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Thank you for the video. It's very interesting to see how somebody who didn't grow in that environment perceives those films.
A couple of minor points:
(1) Even though Eladar Ryazanov's films are more direct in criticizing Soviet system (especially Garage) Gaidai's films do that as well but they are more covert about it.
For example in Operation Y during negotiations between the storage facility manager and the three stooges to stage a fake robbery, the manager says that there won't any criminal charges because EVERYTHING is already stolen thus implying that quite a widespread corruption among bureaucracy that is appointed to safeguard common property.
Another example is in Diamond Arm where building supervisor forces tenants to purchase government lottery tickets and threatens to switch off the gas if they refuse. (In Soviet multifamily building gas was used to cook and heat up water to wash). Hearing those threats one suddenly realizes that a regular Soviet citizen has very little recourse against even somebody with such a low level of authority as a building supervisor.
The key phrases used in the conversions I referenced above became cultural references in Soviet society because of the seemingly innocuous but actually very sarcastic deeper meaning.
(2) In Operation Y it's not an English sound Y but the Russian letter Ы. Usage of this specific letter in this context is funny because naming a secret operation with one letter implies a word acronym but there are no Russian words starting with letter Ы.
Mimino is a peak Soviet film.
Вокзал для двоих - это апофеоз одиноких людей, когда они, потеряв все, и уже в возрасте, - находят Любовь. Сильнее этого фильма НЕТ!
Prohibitionists in Russia are now blaming Carnaval Night for it's affect on alcoholism spreading. Mostly on it's supposed creation of a tradition for drinking champagne at the New Year celebrations.
Cool
Beware of the Car is actually an inspiration for the Gone in 60 seconds film.
18:34 old-timey spelling
apparently transliteration hadn't settled on a norm yet
Hi, love your videos, will there ever be a guide to Polish cinema?
I’m definitely doing a Polish animation video soon, and I’d love to do more on Polish cinema in general!
@@kubricklynch Ogniem i Mieczem vid when? 🤣
Soviet comedies are very much tied to the Soviet realities of that time. It is difficult to understand and appreciate humor if you are not immersed in that environment. So it's not surprising that they are not very popular in the West.
There were exceptions with a universal plot. For example, "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia." But there are few of them.
Боже, что за бред?
Во-первых, если ты не родился и вырос в Штатах, то это означает что 80% всех смыслов, включая юмор в голливудских фильмах проходит и мимо тебя. И ты никогда не сможешь всё это понимать, если только не поставишь это целью своей жизни. Однако ничего, как то большинство умудряется же смотреть их кино, не понимая по сути там ничего.
Для примера как то с коллегой из Штатов смотрели "Теорию большого взрыва", он начал делать пояснения, оказалось никто не считывал с 2/3 серии, это при том, что все что называется в теме: и инженеры, и книги по теории супер-струн читали ещё подростками, и СтарТрек смотрели вообще весь и по -нцать раз, и прочее-прочее, т.е. на голову выше среднестатистического обывателя в этом плане, однако оказалось, что всё гораздо глубже и завязано на местную культуру по факту абсолютно не известную за пределами страны, там и отсылки к каким-то фильмам 1930х, к речам каких-то политиков 19,18 веков, каким-то забавным событиям местного значения местных Зажопинсков, какие-то поговорки и так далее.
Во-вторых, советское просто никуда не пускали. Не для того Железный занавес они опускали, чтобы культуру пускать. У ЦРУ целый отдел был, который с 1960х занимался исключительно одним - борьбой с советской культурой. Типичный пример: в какую-нибудь страну привез СССР для местного музея выставку, картины или драгоценности. Ага, это культура. Штаты тут же напротив организуют концерт куда сгоняют всех топовых звезд, ну и привозят ещё что-нибудь более интересное, со всех стран. Главное как можно больше народа оттянуть с советской выставки. И вот так постоянно.
Другой пример, провели опрос в Мексике, мол как относитесь к левым. Оказалось большинство относится нейтрально. Нейтрально! Тут же были выделены средства и скуплена местная кинокомпания, крупнейшая в Латинской Америке. После чего она гнала сугубо анти-левые фильмы, ну и новости (тогда телевизоров не особо было, новости крутили в кинотеатрах).
Так что какие ещё «советские фильмы не особо нравились»? 😂 Их не пускали, а если пускали поливали так, что стыдно было пойти, а если и пошел, то стыдно было похвалить.
Окстись, ты как с другой планеты.
Мужик, а как же "Свадьба в Малиновке" и "Не бойся, я с тобой"?
Думаю, что откровенное поношение украинцев не зашло. Кто бы мог подумать?
I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S ANNNOTHER ONE
Автор, посмотри киноленту "Королева бензоколонки"! Снимать сюжет про комедии и не упомянуть этот фильм - упущение😊
It’s great that you mentioned the national republics of the USSR
Havta be Russian to understand thr humour represented there at 100%. I’m telling you like a Russian
Жалко, что нельзя перевести на английский букыу ы или ь...)
What sound do they make?
Gaidai's humor relied too much on the everyday context of the Soviet system and could THEREFORE not be understood, let alone appreciated, by foreigners... 😏
It would be nice if you list the names of the movies in English instead of writing them in Russian with Latin letters. You might as well just put the Cyrillic up
Gogol is Ukranian-Russian writer🗿🗿🗿
The good ending
2:48 стекловата. Кошмар.
14:52 that scy-fi story is about Ukranian-Russian conflict as same people are devided in two groups one of them the Pa-tzak's that is similiar to offencive Ukranian word the Ka-tzap's as deregotory term towards Russians (kinda like an N-word)
While the Soviet Union was not known for its comedy movies, it was known for being a huge joke.
I understand you are trying to joke, but i want to be that guy and admit that for us, russians(and other post-soviet nations) SU is definitely well know for cinema comedies. Theese films are still very popular and various funny quotes from them have become a part of our everyday speech.
Actually, it was known for both.
Yes “joke”: worker’s rights, free medical care, almost drug free, lot of jobs and low % of homeless and poverty in population.
You sir will also be known as a joke for comments like this
@@MrWolfFenrir And women's rights were most advanced in USSR starting 1920s giving an example to the West.
Most of the USSR cinema was plagiarised from the Western, Asian, and other countries' cinema which looked like something new only in ussr in the absence of any competition. As such, they were regarded as good but never truly were.
Foreign movies were available in the USSR though
@@John_.Cabell_.BreckinridgeI mean not really. Very limited amount of western cinema was shown (and of which bigger portion more was from France or Italy than the US). But it was often the case that movie makers (as media makers in general in USSR) had access to more smuggled media for "inspiration". A lot of people reinforce plagiarism narrative but movies in particular still got a different feel to them (acting is noticeably often more down to earth that in the US films). Though you can make a plagiarism claim to 80-90 soviet and post soviet rock music and it holds more ground.
Примеры в студию.
Actually the opposite is true. Many Hollywood films “borrowed” from Soviet movies
What a BS.
How about a video about Westerns made in Eastern block countries or/and 'Easterns' - Western-like movies set during Russian Revolution?
I’m actually planning on doing a video on Soviet westerns! I might do fantasy films first though.
@@kubricklynch but what about the rest of Eastern block? Goiko Mitic as every Native American Hero deserves his own segment!
I'd probably want to save the eastern bloc countries for a separate video. We'll see as I do more research.
Are you planning to review old Chinese films? Can it be compared with the Soviet one
I’d love to Chinese cinema at some point.
Thanks for a very informative video. Of all the movies you mentioned, the only one I've seen is "Hussar's Ballad". It was shown in a LGBT film festival in Buenos Aires. I completely forgot it was a musical. 😅
Woah what a twist 😂
There's nothing T or transgender in this movie, speaking as Russian lesbian.
Здравствуйте. Это ошибка, что фильм "гусарская баллада " Считать и показывать для сообщества лгбт. В этом фильме нет намёка на лгбт. Не знаю почему многие решили что там есть для лгбт. На мой взгляд фильм совсем о другом смысле.
It has nothing to do with LGBT or transgender. The girl wanted to fight for her land which was impossible for a woman in 1812 and, probably, also follow her fiancé to the war.
Хватит нас баловать)
Автору посоветовал бы не вставлять в каждое предложение "коммунизм". Это идеология партии, а не общественно-политический строй. Используйте слово "советский".
What are you talking about? I didn’t even use the word “communism” once.
Комментатору посоветую писать о том, что он увидел-услышал, а не то что он придумал
The author actually uses "Soviet". A lot. Looks like someone's listening skills aren't good.