A bitter romance

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Movie
German title A bitter romance
Original title Жестокий романс
Country of production USSR
original language Russian
Publishing year 1984
length 142 minutes
Rod
Director Eldar Ryazanov
script Eldar Ryazanov
production Mosfilm
music Andrei Petrov
camera Vadim Alissov
cut Valeria Belowa
occupation

A bitter romance , also a Volga romance (original title: Жестокий романс , Schestoki romans ) is a Soviet feature film directed by Eldar Ryazanow from 1984 based on the drama Girls without a dowry by Alexander Ostrovsky from 1878.

action

In the second half of the 1870s, Olga Dmitrievna Ogudalova married the Caucasian Prince Georgi , against her will, in a restaurant on the Volga . She is the child of the impoverished widow Charita Ignatjewna Ogudalowa, who does everything in her power to marry her three grown daughters richly, as she cannot give them a dowry into the marriage. Two of their children are now married and now only Larissa Dmitriewna Ogudalowa has to be brought under the hood. She has already found an admirer in the post office clerk Juli Kapitonowitsch Karandyshev, whose love she does not reciprocate. A few days later, on Larissa's birthday, her mother Charita receives the message from her first married daughter Anna that her husband was caught in Monte-Carlo with forged cards and that she is now completely impoverished and has to go back to Frankfurt am Main alone , which is why she asks for 700 rubles . Since Charita has already pledged her entire property, she asks the wealthy friend of the Moki Parmenytsch Knurow family during the evening for cash for a valuable gift that Larissa had just received.

The birthday party is already in full swing when the rich shipowner Sergei Sergejewitsch Paratov, with whom Larissa has been in love for some time, arrives and gives her a valuable necklace, which he can put on her immediately. As a thank you, she sings a song for all the guests, but her eyes are only on Paratov. A few days later he picks her up in a carriage to show her his “Lastochka”, which is considered the fastest ship on the Volga. He shows Larissa the entire ship and doesn't have to convince her to take a trip on the river with him. After dinner in the salon, there is the first exchange of tender touches. One of the next few days, Larissa is standing on the Volga and looking at the passing “Lastochka” when her admirer Karandyshev tells that Paratov's estate is being auctioned and that he will no longer get a loan from the bank. She also learns that he wants to leave, but can only watch as he says goodbye to his friends at the train station, while he has not informed her of the departure.

In the Ogudalowas' house, parties continue to take place in order to find a rich husband for Larissa after Paratov had driven out all possible suitors. Charita has already chosen the bank director Gulyaev for her daughter, who also shows her a thick wallet full of rubles. Only the police appearing at the party informs them that this is just a simple cashier who stole all the money in the bank. That is the reason for the guests to leave the celebration and Larissa decides to marry the next man, whether he is rich or poor.

Now July Karandyshev sees his time has come. Although he has not yet received any caresses from Larissa, he constantly spoils her. When he tries to forbid her from contacting her boyfriend Vasily Danilitsch Woschewatow, whom she has known from childhood, she reacts very openly. The choice to marry him is not due to his dignity, but to the fact that she wants to flee from people and only wants their peace. Even so, she will try to fall in love with him. In the meantime, word has got around that Larissa will marry the postman. He wants to give a party so that he can show in front of everyone that it is not financially overwhelming and invites many of the former guests of the Ogudalowas to it.

While he was still issuing the invitations, the “Lastochka” entered the port, on whose board Sergei Paratov, who was back in town for the first time after a year of absence, to sell his ship to Vasily Voshevatov. He tells Knurow and his other friend that he is now starting a new life. He gives up his shipping company, has many plans and wants to take care of new business. He also invites her to lunch because he wants to celebrate his departure as a bachelor because he intends to get married. His bride is so rich that he cannot say "no" even if it means saying goodbye to his happy life. Unfortunately, his friends have to refuse him, as they have already been invited by Karandyshev because of his upcoming wedding.

Before this celebration, Larissa reassures her groom that she is only marrying him out of desperation and her mother asks her to only hold a small celebration, which she refuses. She learns from Karandyshev that his rival Paratov is back in town. He visits Larissa while her future husband prepares for the party. With his flattering sayings Paratow immediately wraps his former lover around his fingers again and she confesses that she still loves him. A considerable quarrel develops between Karandyshev, who has since returned, and Paratov, which can only be calmed down by the requests of Larissa and her mother. Finally, Paratov is invited to the planned celebration. He uses the opportunity to get his opponent completely drunk, takes Larissa in his arms and kisses her.

Woschewatow, Knurow and Paratow decide to spend the evening on the "Lastochka" and to sail the Volga. Larissa also joins the gentlemen because she now wants to follow her lover everywhere. When her groom finds out, he takes a pistol and drives after them until, despite his drunkenness, he also reaches the already moving ship. Here Paratov confesses that he is engaged and therefore feels bound to this woman for a lifetime. A world collapses for Larissa. Woschewatow and Knurow, who already know that Larissa will be abandoned, both have an interest in her. Since they don't want to argue, they toss a coin to determine who gets the young woman. Knurow wins and wants to go to Paris with her, even though he is married. Karandyshev witnessed this procedure. When Woschewatow meets Larissa, she asks her old friend to at least be comforted by him, which he refuses, since he has given his word of honor as a merchant not to get too close to her.

While Larissa is withdrawn and standing alone in a large room, she is found by Karandyshev, who attacks her and confesses his love to her several times. She is able to break away from the violent grip and flees to the ship's deck to give Knurow her consent. Karandyshev runs after her and shoots her with the exclamation that she shouldn't belong to anyone. Larissa thanks him with last words.

Production and publication

The film, shot in color by the Sixth Film Production Association , premiered on November 24, 1984 under the title Жестокий романс in the Soviet Union and reached over 22 million viewers here.

In the GDR , the film was shown for the first time on December 14, 1985 at the Babylon cinema in Berlin as part of the Camera Studio cinema program . The film was broadcast in the second program on December 30, 1986 on East German television.

The film was broadcast on ZDF on August 31, 1986 under the title Eine Volga Romance .

criticism

The lexicon of international film writes that this film is an impressive drama that approaches the characters with great empathy. Here the end of upper-class society in Russia is shown in carefully worked out details.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Neue Zeit of December 13, 1985, p. 6
  2. ↑ A bitter romance. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed January 28, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used