Top 15 Soviet comedies to watch ONLINE with English subs
Mosfilm, Russia’s leading movie studio, has its entire “golden archive” of Soviet movies on its YouTube channel, complete with English subtitles. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular videos that continue to be loved and gain admiration worldwide.
1. Operation ‘Y’ & other adventures of Shurik
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1965
The eccentric comedy about a naive student named Shurik, who always gets into ridiculous situations. The movie consists of three parts, pick which one you like the most!
Watch it here.
2. Gals (The Girls)
Dir. Yuri Chulyukin, 1961
Several girls of different ages and interests live in one dorm room and work at a big Soviet construction site. The youngest, Tosya, falls in love with a guy – and struggles with the advice of her flatmates.
Watch it here.
3. Love & Pigeons
Dir. Vladimir Menshov, 1985
A musical comedy about love. A countryside adult man with three kids is an incurable romantic. One day, he gets into an affair with a refined, big city lady. But, it appears he only wants to live at home, in his village, with his wife and… pigeons!
Watch it here.
4. Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Occupation (a.k.a. Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future)
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1973
Imagine Tsar Ivan the Terrible travels in time and finds himself stranded in the Soviet 1970s… While an exemplary Soviet citizen accidentally ends up in the tsar’s place! An incredible Soviet comedy.
Watch it here.
5. Office Romance
Dir. Eldar Ryazanov, 1977
An ordinary white-collar worker is living an ordinary life and is very shy to improve it. So, his old friend suggests he flirt with his female boss to get a job promotion. And that’s when the very interesting things start!
Watch it here.
6. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1967
A second part of student Shurik’s adventures. Now, in his summer practice, he travels to the Caucasus to explore the local traditions there… and accidentally ends up right in the middle of them!
Watch it here.
7. The Diamond Arm
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1968
An exemplary Soviet citizen appears in the wrong place at the wrong time. And smugglers mistakenly put a cast full of diamonds on his arm… So, when they realize what a mess they’ve made, they obviously try to retrieve jewels… any way possible!
Watch it here.
8. The Irony of Fate
Dir. Eldar Ryazanov, 1976
All Soviet cities had absolutely typical residential areas. So, after getting drunk on New Year’s Eve, a man from Moscow mixes up his own apartment with an identical one… in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg)… And, as he wakes up thinking he’s at home, a beautiful woman, the real owner, enters.
Watch it here.
9. Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears
Dir. Vladimir Menshov, 1979
A provincial girl named Katya studies and works in Moscow. The turbulent city life turns her into a single mom, but she still manages to have a great career. And what about love?
Watch it here.
10. Sportloto-82
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1982
Traveling to the south in Summer 1982, four passengers of the same train compartment are reading an intriguing, newly published detective novel. And all of them have the same editions. And, at one point, Oone of the passengersThe thing is that the lady passenger among them puts a winning lottery ticket in one of thea booksone of them. But, which one? Already leaving the train, everyone begins to hunt for the lucky book.
Watch it here.
11. Gentlemen of Fortune
Dir. Alexander Sery, 1971
A kind kindergarten teacher unfortunately looks like the twin of a tough criminal mastermind. Soviet police ask the teacher to help them find out where the real criminal is. And the teacher has to act like him and make the crime boss’ partners in prison believe he is the real deal.
Watch it here.
12. Twelve Chairs
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1971
Two adventurers hunt for diamonds hidden in one of the twelve chairs of a furniture set. The problem is that all the chairs are sold, one by one, to different people, forcing them to hunt all over the Soviet Union for them.
Watch it here.
13. Afonya
Dir. George Danelia, 1975
Afonya is a plumber and all he is interested in is drinking. Strangely, a kind girl falls in love with this unpleasant man.
Watch it here.
14. Impossible!
Dir. Leonid Gaidai, 1975
Three comedic novellas in one movie tell about the stylish Soviet 1920s. They are about love, marriage and betrayal, while hasty conclusions often make these stories even more outrageous.
Watch it here.
15. The Most Charming & Attractive
Dir. Gerald Bezhanov, 1985
Now, no one would be surprised with a single lady telling herself affirmations. But, a Soviet woman, who is advised to repeat: “I am the most charming and attractive” to find a good husband…? That’s the start of a great comedy!
Watch it here.
