VOLGA-VOLGA
DIRECTOR: GRIGORIJ ALEKSANDROV
USSR 1938 (RESTORED 1961)
One of the most successful musical film comedies of the Stalin era, this
Hollywood-inspired extravaganza was made by Sergej Eisenstein’s
one-time colleague Grigorij Aleksandrov. The director gave the part of
the music-loving postwoman Strelkova to his wife, Ljubov Orlova, who was
revered by Russian audiences. When an invitation to compete in Moscow
for a prize for amateur musicians arrives in a remote provincial town,
Strelkova mobilizes the local musical talents against the opposition of
bureaucrat Byvalov, who is played by Soviet star comedian Igor Iljinskij.
The trip along the Volga to Moscow turns into a turbulent competition
between Byvalov’s “Mississippi steamer” and the raft
conveying Strelkova’s gifted crew, who are rewarded with a glorious
triumph in Moscow: Beneath the Soviet coat of arms, a young pioneer sings
the postwoman’s optimistic signature song, which now belongs to
the nation’s popular heritage.
Caligari: 10.04. / 1.30 pm
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