The Pokrovsky Gates (1983)
Stories from the lives of the tenants of the Moscow's communal apartment: Kostik, who is a college student, lives with his aunt while studying; Arkady Velyurov who is a performing artist; Khobotovs, who are a divorced couple; and Sava, who is Margarita Khobotov's new fiancé. All these people live in one apartment and their lives constantly touch each other's.
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Good movie but grossly overrated
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
One of the best Soviet comedies. Zorin wrote a wonderful play, based on his life as a student in Moscow in the 50's. Kazakov made a superb film out of it. In a way it's their Declaration of love: to Moscow, post-war Moscow and Muscovites, and to the days when they were young and in love. Besides the plot, the cast forms a beautiful ensemble, where even the smallest roles get stuck in one's head immediately (e.g. Rimma Markova or Elisaveta Nikishchikhina). Have no clue, how would it be to watch this film in translation, but for anyone who knows Russian almost every line the characters say is an absolute masterpiece: laconic, acute, hilarious. The film is an absolute classic!
Just watch this brilliantly made film from the 80s USSR and you will love it. It portrays ordinary Moscow citizens from the 50s, the main hero being Kostik (Oleg Menshikov). He depicts his life from the moment that he arrived in Moscow to attend university. The main heroes have plenty of warm and humorous adventures, several broken hearts, yet everything is always alright at the end. It is quite something to watch this movie now and remember those times. This movie will undoubtedly cause some to get a bit nostalgistic, but that just adds to the quality of this film. It was always pleasing to see such great movies from the Soviet Union and always will be.
This is a great masterpiece of Soviet-era cinematography. The ensemble of unique and likable characters is portrayed by a superb cast. The movie is filled with hilarious one-liners, theatrical satire, genuine emotions, and lovingly examines the lives of six dwellers of a communal apartment in a romantic and somewhat nostalgic setting of 1950's Moscow. Trivia and POSSIBLE SPOILER: the movie underwent considerable scrutiny during the "Stale Period" of USSR due to a particular sequence towards the end - the image of a motorcycle flying over the cliff was perceived by the authorities as a subtext reference to immigration. When the director Kozakov was asked to explain its meaning, he replied : "No, they're just flying to the future."
This is very much overrated. I guess it carries some nostalgic value for many people. It has its moments, but every scene is heavily overacted and the plot is quite shallow. With this cast it could have been much better.