Introduction to cruel romance

Introduction to cruel romance | appreciation | reflection

1984 color film 135 minutes

Produced by Moscow Film Studio of the Soviet Union.

Director: eldar ryazanov (adapted from Ostrovschi's drama The Woman Without Marriage) Photography: Vajim Arisov The main actors: Larissa Guzeeva (as Larissa), Nikita michal Cove (as Palatov), Andrei Miyakov (as Karandoushev), alexey Yi Betlinko (as nurov) and Victor.

This film won the 1985 All-Soviet Film Festival Award and the Golden Peacock Award at the New Delhi International Film Festival in India.

abstract

Oguda Lova's husband died young, and she struggled to bring up her three daughters. Her family is getting worse every year. She clearly knows that their marriage can't be too picky because she has no money to marry her daughter. The eldest daughter Anna has already married in other places. Olga, the second daughter, is going to marry a white duke. The Duke will take her by boat today to leave Bria Shimov, a small town on the Volga River, for Tivris.

This is a farewell on the dock. Olga put her arms around her mother's neck and sobbed, wondering what fate awaited her. Larissa, the youngest daughter of Oguda Lova, is also depressed. Her two sisters are married, and she is the only one left. Oguda Lova's old friends, businessmen nurov and vogel Vatov, and Karan Dushev, a small civil servant working in the post office, all came to the dock. Palatov, a 40-year-old businessman, was late, so he blatantly violated the ban on riding on the pier, jumped onto the trestle on a white horse and went straight to the lobby of the pier. When he got off the horse and walked quickly to the farewell crowd, the big white boat carrying Olga's newlyweds had left the dock. Palatov threw a bunch of flowers at Olga standing on the deck of the ship and wished her happiness loudly.

Karan Dushev has always admired Larissa, but he found that Larissa seems to have a crush on Palatov, and Palatov can please Larissa everywhere. Take a small matter as an example. When Larissa's carriage was mired in muddy water, Palatov stood at the back of the carriage, with his back against his body, raised the crossbar with both hands, moved the car closer to the sidewalk, and let Larissa get on the bus in a dry place. On Larissa's birthday, Palatov gave her an expensive gold necklace. In order to show his superiority, he also competed with an officer in marksmanship: he put a glass on the top hat for the officer to smash. The police officer hit the glass 20 paces away, but did not hurt him; He took out a gold pocket watch and told the officer to straighten his arm and hold the watch chain in his hand. He shot at a distance of 20 meters from the officer, who dared not take risks. Larissa volunteered to make this attempt. She has unlimited trust in Palatov. Carando Schaeff tried to snatch the pistol from Palatov and was pushed away by Palatov. Everyone sweated for Larissa, only to hear a bang, and the pocket watch was smashed to pieces, but Larissa was safe and sound.

Palatov took Larissa to sail in his luxurious Swallow. Larissa also tried to fly the spaceship. Palatov ordered the captain to go ahead at full speed, and he must overtake the ship "St Olga". Larissa had a good time on the boat. Palatov is full of charm for her, and she loves him deeply. When Palatov sailed, she just stood in the pavilion by the Volga River, watching river cruise pass by, expecting to see the "Swallow". One day, while watching the boat, she heard Carando Scheff say: He took advantage of his postal work and learned that Palatov had been cheated by the housekeeper and wanted to leave here. At the station, Palatov accepted vogel Vatov's suggestion, agreed to sell the swallow to him, and entrusted him to apologize to Larissa: he didn't have time to say goodbye to Larissa because he suddenly learned that he was bankrupt. When Larissa arrived at the station, the train was leaving the platform, and Larissa failed to see Palatov.

Oguda Lova met a new Guriev from Moscow. He looks like a bank manager, spending money like water. He gave Oguda Lova 600 rubles to buy a good carriage. He has proposed to Larissa, but Larissa hasn't formally replied to him. Her heart is in a mess and she wants to cry. While Guriyaev was having a party with guests at Oguda Lova's house, several court workers and bailiffs came here and took him away. It turned out that Guriyaev was just a bank teller. He stole a huge sum of money from the bank and fled here.

Larissa has experienced many twists and turns. She has had enough of * * *, and the feeling of passion has disappeared. Now, nothing matters to her. In order not to worry her mother, she said, "From now on, I will marry whoever proposes to me first." Rich or poor, I don't care. "When Larissa and her mother came home from their father's grave, they saw Carando Scheff waiting for her at the door with flowers in his hand. She immediately said, "My fate has been sealed. "In order to please Larissa, Karan Dushev, who has always been stingy, bought a fashion for Larissa, and I don't know where he got a carriage.

Larissa felt that this series of unfortunate events made her ashamed to meet the people around her. She wanted to avoid them and asked Karandosev to take her back to her hometown at once. Carando Schaeff insisted on leaving here after the wedding, lest others say that he was not good enough for Larissa. Although Oguda Lova is so poor that she pawned all her houses, her family is a noble family after all. In the past three years, Carando Schaeff has been laughed at and ridiculed by friends in Larissa's family. Now, he will hold a banquet at home, invite them all, mock them and get back at them. Just as Larissa was going to marry Carando Scheff, Palatov suddenly appeared. Larissa tried to avoid him, but he came to Oguda Lova's house and had an argument with Carando Scheff. Larissa asked Carando Scheff to apologize to Palatov. Palatov smashed an apple with his fist to teach Carando Schaeff a lesson, and the juice splashed on Carando Schaeff's face and body. Oguda lova asked Carando Schaeff to invite Palatov to his house for dinner. Palatov, vogel Vatov, Ke nurov and others all went. At the banquet, the famous French wine and high-grade cigars boasted by Carando Schaeff were exposed by the guests and turned out to be fakes. Karan Dushev was humiliated as drunk as a fiddler by everyone and covered in ugliness. Palatov asked Larissa to sing for everyone. Larissa didn't want to sing at first, but when Karan Dushev didn't allow her to sing, she sang a romantic song.

Palatov will leave here tomorrow. Tonight, vogel Vatov will hold a banquet on the Swallow to celebrate his purchase of the ship. He invited guests to go directly from Kaladushev's house, and Palatov would also visit the ship that once belonged to him. He hoped that Larissa would go with him. Larissa thought it was "fate" and readily agreed. Larissa followed Palatov when Karandoushev went to the warehouse to get the wine. Karan Dushev took off the pistol hanging on the wall and went straight to the dock.

In the cabin of the ship, Larissa was immersed in the joy of falling in love with Palatov in despair, and she decided to leave here with Palatov. Unexpectedly, after Palatov got her, she calmly advised her to go back, showed her the gold ring on her finger and told her that she was engaged to someone else. Larissa can't stand the blow. She told Palatov to go away. She wants to think for herself.

Karan Dushev rowed the boat to the Swallow. He grabbed the gangway and climbed onto the boat. On the deck, he saw that Vogel Vatov and G nurov were using the game of guessing the pros and cons of coins to decide the ownership of Larissa, and whoever won would have Larissa. Dick nurov won. Married, he will take Larissa to Paris and hide in the golden house.

Vogel Vatov met Larissa in the corridor of the third cabin, and Larissa asked him to help her, because they grew up together like brothers and sisters, but vogel Vatov said there was nothing he could do, and he had to keep his promise to G nurov. G nurov told Larissa that he would take her to Paris, and Larissa finally realized that she was a "commodity". Karandoushev claimed to be Larissa's owner and forced Larissa to go back with him. Larissa strongly disagreed. She would rather give herself to her new owner, nurov. Karandoshev shot her from behind to prevent others from catching her. After Larissa fell, she said "thank you" weakly and closed her eyes slowly.

Distinguish and appreciate

This film was adapted by Leah Zhanov based on the famous Russian writer Ostrovschi's famous play The Unmarried Woman. 1936, the famous director Ya Protazanov once put the play on the screen, with the title and content consistent with the original. This adaptation is regarded as a great achievement of Russian classic works on the screen. Nearly half a century later, in 1984, when Riya Zhanov adapted this famous play again, he made great changes to the original, and even the focus of the film theme was very different from the original. The original drama emphasizes that in a society where money dominates everything, Larissa's beautiful love cannot be realized because of poverty. After she was abandoned by her relatives, she was left as a "bet" by others like a commodity, transferred or sold, and finally killed. What Leah Zhanov wants to show in this film is not to expose and accuse evil money power, but to emphasize the heroine Larissa's pursuit of beautiful love and the contradiction between her pure love and her filthy real life. Leah Zhanov believes that this contradiction also exists urgently in today's life. It is more contemporary and can be recognized by today's audience. In addition, the new technical conditions of the film-sound, light, color and other means will also give the film rich expressive force. Leah Zhanov also incorporated the images and scenes of some plays written by Ostrovschi after this play into the film. He said that as long as the spirit of the original is preserved, it is not necessary to stick to whether all the plots are consistent with the original plot.

The original drama is one of the favorite dramas of democratic youth in the 1970s, and the ethical issues involved in the drama are still concerned today. Shimov, the small capital of Bria, is full of cruel and humble evil forces. A dignified, pure and helpless girl like Larissa, because she has no money, is just a thing, a plaything, bought and sold. The pure love has a sharp conflict with the sinister environment, which makes Larissa's beautiful love become misfortune and disaster.

In Ostrovschi's original work, the plot only happened in one day, and the film greatly extended the plot time. From the autumn of the first year to the end of the spring of the second year, the plot developed much slower than the original, and some new details, situations and characters appeared. In Zhanov this change, is to fully show the relationship between the characters. Larissa is a sincere and simple girl, and she is faithful to love. She would do anything for Palatov. Palatov was a better marksman than an officer, who was afraid of taking risks, but Larissa dared Palatov to shoot her pocket watch. For the sake of Palatov, she is not afraid of anything, and resolutely does what she wants to do. She is young, fresh and simple. She is sincere rather than clever. She never hides her feelings. Sometimes, she is even too brave and frank. Leah Zhanov is to show the heroine's pursuit of love, and he does not emphasize the theme of tragedy. Generally speaking, Larissa in the play is played by the best Russian tragic actress, and the heroine image in the film adapted by Ya Protazanov is also shaped by Nina Arisova, an actress who is good at performing tragedies. Her excellent acting was praised by the audience. Interestingly, the photographer of this film, Vajim Arisov, is the son of actress Nina Arisova, which shows that the two films based on the same original work still have a certain inheritance relationship. Just because Leah Zhanov didn't emphasize the theme of tragedy, the actress he used was Larissa Guzeeva, a drama college student with pure temperament and a new face on the screen. She played Larissa satisfactorily.

Leah Zhanov likes to use music to express his hero's feelings, just as he used music in The Story of the Office. But the music in The Office Story is off-screen, and most of the music in this film is in the picture. Larissa sang some romantic songs, expressing her beautiful heart and expressing her yearning for beautiful love. The lyrics of some songs sung by Larissa, Palatov and Gypsies come from the poems of famous artists such as Ahmatova, Ma Zvetayeva, Bo Ahmedullina and De Samoilov, and some lyrics are written by Ria Zhanov himself, while the music is written by Andrei Petrov who often cooperates with Ria Zhanov. It should be said that these songs are a major feature of the film, adding charm to the film.

In the original book, Carando Schaeff's play is not heavy, he is just a humble and vulgar secondary role, but in the film, he jumps from many secondary roles to the leading role. In contrast, the film author put him and Larissa together. He is a very mediocre person, while Larissa is an extraordinary girl with distinctive personality and shining brilliance. Carando Schaeff played by Miakov is colorful. He is vain, not very clever and has no talent. He often appears beside Larissa like a shadow, always trying to take Palatov's place in Larissa's heart. When Larissa was looking forward to seeing Palatov's boat in the pavilion on the riverside slope, Karan Dushev brought her the news of Palatov's bankruptcy; Seeing Palatov's fantastic marksmanship, Karan Dushev even secretly practiced shooting in the yard. The gun slammed and he almost lost his life. He even wants to follow Palatov's example, standing behind the car body and making a gesture of lifting the bar to move the car; Because of his humble position, he wanted to entertain friends of Larissa Oguda Lova's family and put on airs. As a result, the fake cigarettes and wine at the banquet were found out, but he made a fool of himself. In the eyes of Carando Scheff played by Miyakov, in his twisted and embarrassed smile, in his busy behavior and movements, there is an unbearable expression of pain, which he doesn't want to show, but he has no power to hide it. In the love triangle relationship with Larissa and Palatov, he is the most painful party, even when everything is in his favor and he is about to become the winner as his fiance. Larissa openly admitted that she didn't love Karandosev. It can be seen from her behavior that she doesn't like him and hates his attentions to her. At the end of the film, Carando Scheff followed Larissa to the Swallow, and Larissa asked him what he was doing here. His answer is: he wants revenge when he sees some people insulting Larissa. Larissa said, "For me, the most unbearable insult is your shelter." Karan Dushev knew that Larissa didn't love him, and he didn't deserve her. He just wants her. Palatov's untimely appearance made him aware of the threat of this deadly rival in love. Miakov doesn't feel sorry for his Carando Schaeff, and he doesn't want his hero to become a hero, but the audience can feel from his Carando Schaeff that this character is very unwise and often makes rash moves. Finally, because he couldn't get Larissa and didn't want others to get her, he shot her. Larissa was "liberated" and said "thank you", and he himself became a tragic figure.

In the film, even Palatov, played by michal Cove, is mediocre. He thinks highly of himself and is arrogant. He is always competing with others. He is better at shooting, faster than his boat and more free and easy than anyone else. He wants to show his advantage in the competition. This is his way of life and a manifestation of his mediocrity. He once said: "I have such a rule: I will never forgive anyone." He shot at the arrogant officer, who reacted coldly to his victory and thought his behavior was inappropriate. The victory was bought at the risk of Larissa's life. He also drank brandy with Carando Schaeff to show the weakness of others and show his strength. In fact, he is not a strong man. He had to sell the ship "Yan Fei", lost his beloved industry and went bankrupt completely. In order to change his fate, he was engaged to a rich woman. Finally, this seemingly fearless man shed tears. What is he crying about? Is it for Larissa? Because he can't marry the person he loves? No, he's crying for himself. He thinks he is the embodiment of strength, confidence and hope. In the end, all he got was a false and worthless victory. He shed tears because he saw his mediocrity. Michal Cove played the role to the fullest. He plays the charming and open-minded Palatov. He is not only the protagonist in the film, but also the source of some sharp social contradictions and conflicts that are often encountered in today's daily life.

The characters in the play, from small to large, are very ordinary, which is not the weakness of the film, but the advantage of the film. Peace is the keynote of all levels of film art structure. There is no sad music in the film, no gloomy scenery, and the actors are not abusive. Their performance is subtle and measured, and their feelings are not moved by "the most * * *". The color of the film is also neutral, and there is nothing bright and dazzling. Even the gypsies in the film are very peaceful, unlike other movies.

The tragic events that happened in one day in the original play became the ordinary daily life of some mediocre residents in a small city in the film. Like other films made by Leah Zhanov, the protagonist seems to be at the mercy of fate: Palatov is planning to marry Larissa, but he has to leave because of bankruptcy. When he came back, he met Larissa and married Carando Scheff; Larissa entrusted her life to fate ("marrying the first person to propose to me"), so when she saw Carando Scheff standing at her door with a bunch of snowflakes, she said, "My fate is sealed." Later, when she quietly left the party at Kaladushev's house and accompanied Palatov on the boat, she said to her mother, "It seems that fate is inevitable!" G nurov and vogel Vatov often visit Oguda Lova's house, but they only take action at the most decisive moment for Larissa, and they also use the game of guessing the advantages and disadvantages of coins to decide Larissa's ownership, which is dominated by fate. Fate seems to have set a net for several protagonists, ready to take them all in. All people must obey fate, not refuse to resist it.

Leah Zhanov made great changes to the original work to make it correspond to today's times. This adaptation method of classical masterpieces has caused great controversy in the critics. With the continuous emergence of adaptation works, the debate about which adaptation method is better or worse seems to continue.