Pokrovskie vorota

This is a sweet, kind, beautifully filmed story of life in the late fifties Moscow, as seen by a young student, come from the provinces to live with his elderly aunt (the talented and breathtakingly beautiful Sofiya Pilyavskaya), in a shadowy communal apartment. If you are not watching in translation, take note of the songs. The three main songs of this film are nearly the most famous fifties songs written by the late, great Bulat Okudzhava. Leonid Bronevoy (memorable as Muller in "The Seventeen Moments of Spring" mini-series), is charming as the aging singer, Velyurov, and the unforgettable Morgunov has a brief part as the song-writer, dominated by his "evil genius" of a wife. This is a charming film.