5 BEST Soviet movies based on Pushkin’s works
The poems, plays and novels of the genius poet still stir the imagination of directors from all over the world. We have selected five time-tested movie masterpieces filmed in the USSR.
1. ‘The Captain's Daughter’ (Directed by Vladimir Kaplunovskiy, 1958)
A young nobleman Peter Grinev is on his way to a remote fortress for military service. He gets caught in a heavy snowstorm on the way, but a stranger helps him get out. As a token of gratitude, he gives him his winter coat. Soon, it turns out that the stranger was none other than Yemelyan Pugachev, the leader of the peasant uprising…
The colorful figure of Pugachev was masterfully embodied by Soviet cinema star Sergei Lukyanov, who had also played the main role in the iconic ‘Cossacks of the Kuban’ (1950) movie earlier. The audience also loved Peter Grinev, performed by a young Oleg Strizhenov. The screen version of the book vividly conveyed the atmosphere of turmoil and rebellion and, in addition to the adoration of the audience, won several international film awards.
Watch the movie for free here.
2. ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’ (Directed by Alexander Ptushko, 1972)
Lyudmila, the daughter of a Kiev prince, marries Ruslan, a ‘bogatyr’ (‘brave knight’). But, when they find themselves alone after the feast, evil forces kidnap the bride - she is imprisoned by a sorcerer named Chernomor. The inconsolable Ruslan sets off to search for his beloved, overcoming the sorcerer's various obstacles.
The fairy tale movie is an adaptation of Pushkin's poem of the same name and its main advantage is that the original poetic text is preserved. The large-scale picture was the last work of Soviet director Alexander Ptushko and was highly praised by critics.
Watch the movie for free here.
3. ‘The Stationmaster’ (Directed by Sergei Soloviev, 1972)
Samson Vyrin works as a station keeper and lives alone with his only daughter along a remote road. The family idyll is disturbed by a handsome ‘hussar’ (a light cavalry horseman), played by Nikita Mikhalkov, with whom the daughter runs away.
This is one of director Sergei Soloviev’s earlier movies, but where you can already feel the author's style and innovative film language. He cast his wife, the beautiful actress Marianna Kushnerova, in the main female role.
The movie is based on Pushkin's prose story ‘The Station Master’ (from the ‘The Tales of Belkin’ cycle), but it also features some of his poems. The work was highly recognized abroad, as well: The movie won the Grand Prix at the Venice Television Film Festival.
Watch the movie for free here.
4. ‘Little Tragedies’ (Directed by Mikhail Schweitzer, 1979)
Being a student of Sergei Eisenstein, Mikhail Schweitzer has repeatedly made movies based on Russian classics. His filmography includes ‘Resurrection’ (1960-1962) and ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ (1987) based on Tolstoy, ‘Dead Souls’ (1984) based on Gogol and variations on the themes of Chekhov's stories.
‘Little Tragedies’ stands out from the list. He not only adapted four of Pushkin's dramatic plays in verse, but also creatively processed them, linking them together with the help of another work, ‘Egyptian Nights’. Thus, the plays are presented as the fantasies of an improvisational poet.
The three-part movie is interesting, both because of its proximity to Pushkin's text and the fact that it features iconic actors, including the legendary Vladimir Vysotsky.
Watch the movie for free here.
5. ‘The Tale of Tsar Saltan’ (Directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano & Lev Milchin, 1984)
Three sisters fantasize about what they would do if they became tsarina. Two of them have material dreams, while the youngest says she would give birth to a son for the tsar. The tsar, who learns of this, marries her and then the drama develops in the style of Cinderella, with envious sisters, slander and a miraculous rescue.
A drawn animated movie is an adaptation of Pushkin's verse fairy tale of the same name. Art director Ivanov-Vano had already become famous before with the animated movie ‘The Little Humpbacked Horse’ (1947), which Walt Disney himself praised and showed to his artists. He embodied ‘Tsar Saltan’ in the same style, using motifs of Russian folk art.
Watch the movie for free here.
BONUS: The best post-Soviet movie adaptation
‘The Aristocratic Peasant Girl’ (Directed by Aleksey Sakharov, 1995)
This love story won't leave you indifferent. The beginning is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet: two neighboring landowners have been feuding for many years… but, the daughter of one of them wants to meet the son of one of the others. Dressed as a simple peasant girl, this aristocratic young lady gets acquainted with the handsome neighbor's son without him knowing who she is. But then, their fathers suddenly reconcile and decide to marry their children… What about the deception?
The movie is very faithful to the text of Pushkin's ‘The Squire's Daughter’ and is characterized by a subtle attention to historical scenery and costumes. Actors Elena Korikova and Dmitry Shcherbina in the lead roles masterfully portray their characters.
Watch the movie for free here.
