Za schastem

Although Yevgeni Bauer's fascinating and promising career ended all too prematurely, at least this movie is worthy to have been his last one. Starting with a relatively simple situation, it develops some interesting themes that later prove to be of great importance, and it builds up the emotional tension to the point that it becomes almost too much to bear.

The beginning introduces the three main characters: a wealthy widow, her ailing daughter who is in danger of going blind, and the widow's patient suitor. At the outset, the simple question concerns how much longer the suitor will be willing to wait to get married, since the widow won't do so until her daughter is out of danger. As the story proceeds, the theme of blindness is carefully developed in both its physical and psychological aspects, the kind of parallel that Bauer knew how to establish as well as anyone.

All of the characters are believable, and all of them are worth caring about, making the dramatic tension in their relationships that much greater. Another interesting aspect of the movie is Lev Kuleshov's involvement, both on the production crew and in a small but important role on-screen. Unlike Bauer, Kuleshov still had almost his whole career ahead of him.

It is indeed fortunate that Bauer's movies are finally receiving a little more attention with the recent releases of some of his surviving work. There's no way of telling which direction his career might have taken in the Soviet era, but what does survive is the work of a distinctive, imaginative, and highly skilled film-maker.