10 Soviet Films That Are Adored Abroad

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

10 Soviet films that are incredibly popular abroad

Movies of the Soviet period are still popular with viewers. Among them there are also those pictures that are loved abroad no less than at home. The selection contains films that have received wide recognition in the world box office.

"Moscow does not believe in tears" (1979)

The cult tape directed by Vladimir Menshov has become incredibly popular in the United States. Even President Ronald Reagan praised the film, burning with the idea of visiting the Soviet Union after watching it. The film was nominated for an Oscar and won it as Best Foreign Language Film.

Unfortunately, it was not without a scandal: the director was not released from the Soviet Union, and he could not personally receive the award

"Mom" (1976)

The fairy tale film, directed by Elisabeth Bostan, was a joint project of Romania, the Soviet Union and France. Especially the picture fell in love with the Norwegians, who watch it on the winter holidays, as we do "The Irony of Fate." Considerable merit of such popularity of the film in the sparkling game of Lyudmila Gurchenko and Mikhail Boyarsky.

"Mom" is actively compared to the American musical "Cats"

"Magicians" (1982)

The film "Sorcerers" was directed by Konstantin Bromberg, having endured a real battle before that in a committee that checks scripts for ideological errors. Fortunately, no sedition was found, and the tape immediately after its release became megapopular with the Soviet audience. But even greater success awaited the film abroad - in the USA, in France and in Canada.

The performer of one of the main roles in "The Wizards", artist Alexander Abdulov, after the release of the tape in foreign distribution, became one of the most recognizable Soviet film actors abroad

"Frost" (1964)

Director Alexander Rowe created a fairy tale for adults, which in Czechoslovakia has become traditional for viewing on New Year's and Christmas. There is even a variety of ice cream created in honor of the ribbon - "Mrazík". The actress who played Marfushenka received a silver Masaryk medal from the Czech ambassador.

In the Czech Republic, in the early 2000s, even a computer game based on this film was released under the title "The Adventures of Santa Claus, Ivan and Nastya"

The Snow Queen (1957)

The cartoon, created by director Lev Atamanov, has been translated into 18 languages and shown in 35 countries around the world. The animated version of the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen conquered the audience with unprecedented technological perfection at that time. Among other things, when creating a cartoon, the live action technique was first used - when a real actor is first filmed on film, and then the image is turned into a drawing.

By the way, in the French version, the right to speak through the mouth of the Snow Queen was literally defended by Catherine Deneuve, bypassing numerous applicants for the role

"White Sun of the Desert" (1969)

The film "White Sun of the Desert" was filmed by director Vladimir Motyl in a genre that was rather unusual for the Soviet Union. Before that, few dared to play up the theme of the Western, but, nevertheless, partly because of this, the tape was so fond of American viewers. She saw the light thanks to Leonid Brezhnev, who was conquered by her the first time.

In English-speaking countries, many phrases from the film "White Sun of the Desert" became winged

"Kin-Dza-Dza!" (1986)

The fantastic dystopian film was shot by Georgy Danelia. The tape has become mega-popular in the USA, Europe, China and Japan. At the box office, the film almost overtook Star Wars, and one of the American directors turned to Danelia with a request to reveal the secret of the special effects used in the film.

Western fans of science fiction cinema have expanded their vocabulary with phrases from the movie "Kin-dza-dza!"

"The Cranes Are Flying" (1957)

Mikhail Kalatozov, who shot the film "The Cranes Are Flying", managed to create a picture included in the hundred best films of all times and peoples according to the version of the French Film Academy. To this day, the tape remains the only one that received the main prize of the Cannes Film Festival. The director received letters from all over the world with gratitude for the film and acting.

During the filming of The Cranes Are Flying, circular camera rails were used for the first time, allowing you to select foreground angles more sophisticated

"Wait for it!" (1969)

An animated series about the enmity of a hare and a hooligan wolf was created by Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin, using the characters that were invented by Gennady Sokolsky. The loudest success is "Well, wait!" won in Poland, where the cartoon was more popular than the American "Tom and Jerry".

"Wait for it!" is still considered the most successful Soviet animated series in the world box office

"The meeting place cannot be changed" (1979)

Stanislav Govorukhin's five-part film about the fight against crime in the Soviet Union became a cult movie in the first year of its release. Abroad he was especially loved in Canada, and so much so that he was shown for at least ten years. In the film, the main role is played by Vladimir Vysotsky, who, after the release of the film, became one of the most popular actors and singers worldwide.

Govorukhin's film "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed" became a discovery for the foreign public, which by that time had already begun to believe that there was no crime in the USSR

The presented selection includes films highly appreciated by Western audiences. It's nice to know that in the Soviet legacy there are those films that are still deservedly popular and are considered masterpieces of world cinema.