Musical comedy. Well, since I did watch Sergei Gerasimov's "Quiet Don", then why not visit their Kuban neighbors? And you agree? Well, that's fine! But seriously, I was going to watch this masterpiece of Soviet cinema for a very long time, and then the occasion came, so I used this moment until inspiration left me. And in general, before viewing, I heard exceptionally good or enthusiastic reviews of my friends and acquaintances about this picture - and everything turned out to be true. And here is my brief opinion for you - The love of the two chairmen. I want to indicate in advance that I watched the restored and "restored" version of the 1968 painting, since the original of 1949 was lost, and I judge the painting solely by this version. And there are no flaws in this masterpiece, so I will focus your attention on the delightful advantages of this legend of Russian cinema. This concludes such an important and necessary introduction and gets to the point.
So, the delightful virtues:
1. Scenario - the picture unfolds in the Kuban four years after the end of the terrible and destructive Great Patriotic War, two collective farms "Red Partisan" and "Covenants of Ilyich" participate in social competition, and their chairmen secretly love each other, but they try not to show it in public, but once between ordinary collective farmers from opposing camps love breaks out, which threatens trouble for the "Red Partisan", and then it started. That's right, we have a romantic story unfolding in the post-war Soviet Union, albeit a little naive, but sincere and passionate. Seasoned with good humor and with a gorgeous colorful ending. A lot of funny and funny situations and well-written characters are the key to the success of this picture.
2. Entourage - post-war Kuban, residents with orders and medals, social competitions, amateur performances, socialist slogans, fairs - all this is succulently served and superbly played. And let us not see life as such, but we will feel the mood and aspirations of the people of those years. This is a heroic generation, the generation of my grandparents, who raised a Great Country from the ruins and made it the best in the world, because they were the happiest in the whole universe. They lived simple dreams and enjoyed small things, while loving their Homeland, which is one, and there will never be another! It is the restored version that allows you to feel and see the juiciness of the picture. I bow down to these people who restored a huge country and loved their homeland! In short, the entourage is done "perfectly".
3. Mood - the picture is a kind of bundle of joy, dreams, pride for the Motherland and people, and most importantly - the desire to live and enjoy this very life, which I have not often seen in other paintings. If you are in a lousy mood, then be sure to watch "Kuban Cossacks" - and the mood will rise and stay (perhaps) for a few days. Here, every element of the picture works to create this very mood: music, entourage, actors, humor, picture. The picture oozes light and life-affirming energy, and it is not for nothing that so many viewers have loved it and for more than one generation!
4. Music - songs from this picture have become folk hits, especially "As you were, so you have remained!" and others. I myself have heard these songs far more than once in my life, but I did not know the source, so to speak, and now I have filled this gap. Songs and music, by the way, are also full of cheerful mood and light naivety.
5. Patriotism - in addition, the painting teaches love for their homeland, for their people and is full of hopes for a better future. And this is right, because we do not have another Homeland, and there are always enough enemies, and if we do not defend the Homeland, then it will not be. It is not for nothing that they say "their own land will always help", but there is no other for us. Especially the theme of patriotism is noticeable in the finale with a whole collective of collective farmers, tractors and a red flag flying in the background - a symbol of the working class and peasantry, who defeated their bourgeois and capitalists, defeated the fascist invaders, and built the best society in the world and lived happily in it!
A little about the main characters:
1. Gordey Gordeevich Raven performed by Sergey Lukyanov is the chairman of the collective farm "Krasny Partizan", who always wants to bypass his neighbors - the collective farm "The Precepts of Ilyich". Comrade Raven is a single man, very proud and economic, but he is not lucky in love cardinally, because he fell in love with the chairman of the collective farm "Precepts of Ilyich" as a boy, and to say openly is dumb to the spirit! People's Artist of the RSFSR Sergey Lukyanov performed this role just admirably! Bravo!
2. Galina Ermolaevna Peresvetova, performed by Marina Ladynina, is the chairman of the collective farm "The Precepts of Ilyich", secretly in love with Gordey Gordeevich, and misses him greatly. The woman is strong, assertive (in household matters), but in her personal life, this case did not really work out, because she is a widow. During the painting, Gordey Gordeevich has repeatedly put himself in awkward situations, and I am generally silent about hints. Marina Ladynina played her role no less successfully than Sergey Lukyanov. Bravo!
Of course, the life of the Soviet village here is slightly embellished, and it's stupid to deny it (my grandmother told me about it herself, especially about the post-war years). The painting is a vivid representative of the genre of "social realism". This is an ideal that they tried to get as close as possible, but the images of collective farmers and dreams, together with music and mood, made this picture a hit and a classic of Soviet cinema. It's a pity that a little over six minutes were cut out of the 1949 version (well, you remember the "Cult of Personality" and other nonsense), although it was Joseph Vissarionovich who gave the final name to this masterpiece, and his portrait even hangs in one of the scenes (the censors apparently missed it). And for the restoration of the "Close-up" special thanks, because both the sound and especially the picture are very juicy and it was a pure pleasure to watch the picture.
As a result, we have an unfading masterpiece of Soviet cinema, with a great script, great music, bright characters, the entourage of the post-war USSR, a great romantic line, a life-affirming mood, and great acting works.
My rating is 10 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
