Soviet Art

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Category Archive: Cinema-Theater

Soviet actress Ariadna Shengelaya

Soviet actress Ariadna Shengelaya

‘Garnet Bracelet’, 1965, director A. Room. Soviet actress Ariadna Shengelaya as Vera

Soviet actress Ariadna Shengelaya
She was the actress of luxury beauty and played the best aristocratic characters of classic Russian literature. In particular, Tatyana Larina (Onegin, 1958), Evgenia Grandet (main role in the movie “Garnet Bracelet”, 1960) and duchess Mary in “Shot” (1966). Beauty of the actress attracted attention of many filmmakers. In the late 1950’s – early 1960’s she was one of the most popular actresses of the Soviet cinema. Lyrical talent and uncommon poetic charm of the actress fully revealed her best roles of princesses, countesses and duchesses.
Ariadna became the winner of the II All-Union Film Festival in the category “Award for the actors” in 1959, for the film “Evgeny Onegin”. In 1965 she was named Best actress in a poll of the magazine “Soviet Screen” for her role in “Garnet Bracelet”. Shengelaya is People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR (1979), People’s Artist of Russia (2000).
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Best USSR comedy Kidnapping Caucasian Style

Natalia Varley and Alexander Demyanenko as Nina and Shurik

Natalia Varley and Alexander Demyanenko as Nina and Shurik in Best USSR comedy Kidnapping Caucasian Style, 1966

Best USSR comedy Kidnapping Caucasian Style
Comedy film “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style” (1966), directed by Leonid Gaidai is an unsurpassed classic of cinema, best comedy in history, a real masterpiece of the 20th century! It is no exaggeration to say that the film was watched by every Soviet viewer several times. Only in the USSR it was watched by 76 500 000 people. No one has yet managed to beat Leonid Gaidai. The first time the film was shown on April 1, 1967. The spectators were literally rolling on the floor laughing. In another way, it was simply impossible. It was a completely new approach to cinema. The film “Kidnapping, Caucasian Style” is a masterwork, near and dear to everyone.
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Soviet Estonian actress Eve Kivi

Soviet Estonian actress Eve Kivi

Soviet Estonian actress Eve Kivi

Soviet Estonian actress Eve Kivi was in the first cohort of beauties of Soviet cinema. She was called sex symbol of Soviet cinema, Estonian Brigitte Bardot. Despite the fact that filmography of Eve does not contain a large number of leading roles, she has traveled to 47 countries. Officials clearly wanted to show that the Soviet Union has a beauty not worse than Brigitte Bardot. Men loved Eve, women envied her, and journalists are still gossiping about her tumultuous personal life. She was a secret passion of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR Yuri Andropov. American rebellion, musician and actor Dean Reed said that he lived for her. The personal physician of President Allende fell in love with her. She was in Lamonede with Salvador Allende in his last tragic moments. French actor Georges Rivière was in love with her.
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Soviet actress Ninel Myshkova

Soviet actress Ninel Myshkova in Sadko, 1952

Soviet actress Ninel Myshkova (May 8, 1926, Leningrad, USSR – September 13, 2003, Moscow, Russia) – Soviet film and stage actress. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1976). Film Sadko, 1952

Soviet actress Ninel Myshkova was born May 8, 1926 in Leningrad. Her father, Konstantin Romanovich Myshkov was a lieutenant general of artillery. In the post-revolutionary period, many parents gave their new-born children unusual names, and Konstantin also didn’t remain aloof from these trends. Name Ninel means LENIN is read from right to left, but Ninel herself did not like her name and preferred to be called Eva. In 1947, Ninel graduated from the Theatre School named after Boris Shchukin, where she studied in the studio of V.K.Lvova. On the same course with Ninel Myshkova studied the future stars of Soviet cinema Yulia Borisova, Alla Parfanyak and Elvira Lutsenko.
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Soviet Georgian actress Sofiko Chiaureli

Soviet Georgian actress Sofiko Chiaureli. 'The Color of Pomegranate' (1972)

Soviet Georgian actress Sofiko Chiaureli. ‘The Color of Pomegranate’ (1972) (21 May 1937 – 2 March 2008)

Soviet Georgian actress Sofiko Chiaureli was born May 21, 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR of the USSR. Her mother was actress Veriko Andzhaparidze and her father – founder of Georgian Musical Comedy Theatre named after Vaso Abashidze, a theater director, artist and filmmaker Michael Chiaureli. Sofiko had two brothers. One of them, Otar Chiaureli, later graduated from the Tbilisi Academy of Arts and became a documentary filmmaker. The second brother of Sofiko, Ramaz Chiaureli, graduated from the Directing Department of State institute of Theatrical Art in Moscow. He directed performances “Far from Moscow” and “Twelfth Night”, and was also engaged in the documentary. Both brothers of Sophiko mysteriously gone from life when they turned 49 years old.
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Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg

Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg

Part-time KGB agent, Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg Sobolevskaya

Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg
Recruited by the KGB, film actress Larisa Kronberg managed to charm and seduce the tempered in the political battles French diplomat Maurice Dejean. He was an ambassador to the Soviet Union in late 1955. Indeed, for the beautiful blue-eyed actress it was a matter of technique. Thus, during one of Maurice Dejean’s visits to Larisa, “a jealous husband” burst into the apartment of Larisa. So-called “husband”, in fact, was a part-time KGB agent. Furious “husband” attacked the diplomat with his fists and began to threaten with the court. To avoid a scandal, Dejean had to ask for help from Moscow acquaintances, who were happy to provide it – in exchange for cooperation with the Soviet intelligence services.
For participation in the operations of recruitment of the French Ambassador Maurice Dejean Soviet secret services awarded Kronberg with Swiss watches made of gold and diamonds. They say, having learned about this story, General de Gaulle, pushing aside the ambassador, only said, “Well, Maurice, instead of working all you did was f…..”.
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1961 Soviet romantic comedy The Girls

1961 Soviet romantic comedy The Girls, movie poster

Movie poster, 1961 Soviet romantic comedy The Girls

1961 Soviet romantic comedy The Girls directed by Yuri Chulyukin has always been one of the most loved films for the people of the USSR. We are still struck by the amazing acting and story-line. We laugh at a pig-tailed young girl – Tosya, an orphan (actress Nadezhda Rumyantseva), sympathize her friends – roommates, marvel at the power of love and what it can do to a man. Tosya assigned as a cook for the camp, shows she has her own ideas of how a romance should be conducted. In the film are discussed topical issues of the day. They are masterfully written by a director in the characters’ lives. Each of Tosia’s friends has her own complicated situation. Anfisa can not find love and thinks that because of her beauty, men don’t take her seriously. Vera has a difficult situation with her husband, he has changed, and tries to return her. In today’s world, the problem of Vera has become a classic.
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