10 Must Seen Russian Movies

If you have several favorite movies that you can watch time after time, don’t waste your time and watch it in the language you learn. Even better – with subtitles. That is a piece of advice from our Russian language teacher. If you are not sure what to start with – here you would find a list of the most popular movies in Russia.

The Cranes Are Flying, 1957

It won the Palme d'Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, the only Soviet film to win that award.

Fyodor Ivanovich is a doctor who lives with his son, Boris; his daughter, Irina; his mother; and his nephew, Mark. The film centers on Boris's girlfriend, Veronika, during World War II.The character of Veronica represents Soviet women in the context of the aftermath of the aforementioned war.The call to war sounds, and the country responds with great patriotic fervor.

Destiny of a Man, 1959

It is an adaptation of the novel by Mikhail Sholokhov. The film begins in the Soviet Union in spring of 1946, as truck driver Andrei Sokolov and his young son travel along a road in the country and run into a man Sokolov recognizes as a fellow military driver. Sokolov begins to tell the story of his experiences upon returning from the Russian Civil War and the famine of 1922. A flashback reveals Andrei building a house in Kuban, where he meets and falls in love with his future wife Irina. Soon the pair are married and have a son, Anatoly, and two daughters. Andrei leads a happy family life for 17 years, until the Second World War.

The Diamond Arm, 1968

The boss of a black market ring wants to smuggle a batch of jewelry from Turkey into the Soviet Union by hiding it inside the orthopedic cast of a courier. The Chief sends a minor henchman named Gennadiy Kozodoyev to serve as the courier. Kozodoyev travels to Turkey via a tourist cruise ship. The Turkish co-conspirators do not know what the courier looks like; they only know that he is supposed to say a code word to identify himself. Due to a mix-up, they mistake Kozodoyev's fellow passenger from the cruise ship, the "ordinary Soviet citizen" Semyon Gorbunkov for the courier.

  

      

The Dawns Here Are Quiet, 1972

The film is set in Karelia in 1942 during World War II and was filmed near Ruskeala. Senior Sergeant Vaskov is stationed with a group of young female anti-aircraft gunners in a railway station far from the front line. Vaskov is not used to these gunners' active, playful personalities and therefore clashes with them over daily issues. But Vaskov, being the only man in the village, has to accommodate them in many cases.

Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession, 1973.

The story begins in 1973 Moscow, where Engineer Aleksandr Timofeev working on a time machine in his apartment. By accident, he sends Ivan Vasilevich Bunsha, superintendent of his apartment building, and George Miloslavsky, a small-time burglar, back into the time of Ivan IV "The Terrible". At the same time, the real Ivan IV is sent by the same machine into Shurik's apartment, he has to deal with modern-day life while Shurik tries to fix the machine so that everyone can be brought back to their proper place in time.

They Fought for Their Country, 1975

The film is based on the eponymous book by Mikhail Sholokhov. Action is set in Russia in July of 1942 during the Second World War. The advancing Nazi Armies are approaching Stalingrad. The Russians are exhausted and outnumbered. But in a bloody battle the invading Nazi Armies are stopped at Stalingrad.

White Bim Black Ear, 1976

The film is a touching story about a Scottish Setter with a black ear, who becomes homeless because of his master's illness. Ivan Ivanovich, an older man who is fond of hunting and nature, adopts a puppy despite the dog's improper coloration and black ear, which are considered faults in terms of its breed standard. The man names his dog Bim (diminutive form: Bimka), and often takes him hunting in the country. Ivan Ivanovich begins to develop heart problems, and when the disease becomes worse, he is taken to a hospital.

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, 1979

The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. It is set in Moscow in 1958 and 1979. The plot centers on three young women who come to Moscow from smaller towns: Katerina, Lyudmila, and Antonina. They are placed together in a university dormitory apartment and eventually become friends.

The Hound of the Baskervilles,1981

Soviet film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was the third installment in the TV series about adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. A potent streak of humour ran through the film as concerns references to traditional British customs and stereotypes, ensuring the film's popularity with several generations of viewers.

Heart of a Dog,1988

It is based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel Heart of a Dog. The film is set in Moscow not long after the October Revolution where a complaining stray dog looks for food and shelter. A well-off well-known surgeon Phillip Phillippovich Preobrazhensky happens to need a dog and lures the animal to his big home annex practice with a piece of sausage. The dog is named Sharik and well taken care of by the doctor's maids, but still wonders why he's there. He finds out too late he's needed as a test animal: the doctor implants a pituitary gland and testicles of a recently deceased alcoholic and petty criminal Klim Chugunkin into Sharik. Sharik proceeds to become more and more human during the next days.