If you browse through my reviews (recommended!), you will notice my fascination for left-wing solutions of social problems. This explains my interest in the film "Kalina Krassnaja", which describes the social re-integration of a former criminal, called Jegor. Actually the film is also a love affair, and obviously reminds of "Stanley and Iris", this other romance that I have seen. In the Leninist perspective (= the morals taught in the schools of the Soviet states - seriously!) the nature of people is intrinsically good and altruistic. If people engage in criminal and anti-social activities, then this stems from unsound social constructions (like capitalism). This is not propaganda, but simply the Soviet view, just like you for instance might believe that two atomic bombs are the obvious way to convince Japan to surrender. In the Soviet state the alienating structures are eliminated, but there are still unfortunate remnants of the old capitalist ideas. Re-education and formation can suppress the old ideas and guide the criminals back to their good human (social) nature. Deliberately or not, the film describes just such a process. Thanks to the faith of Ljuba and her farmers community, Jegor is transformed back into the honest peasant, that he once was. You know the type - they are a primitive copy of the former American small farmers (= The grapes of wrath). Self confident but not very sophisticated. Ljubas advances are to some avail (= expedient for ugly women), and Jegors soul is saved. In the granary (= house for senior females) love blossoms. All is well, that ends well - even though Ljuba is still married with a drunkard. Does that make her a bigamist (= an Italian fog)? In addition I enjoyed the script, the dialogs, and the music (folk and Zhivago-like balalaika play). The whole is more lively than most Soviet films. So why does the film have such a sad conclusion? May I guess? Perhaps the producers try to discourage the viewers from engaging in criminal activities. Prevention is better than the cure. And indeed Jegor is pursued and hunted by his former gang. They are barbarians (= people who cut your hair). For them the only thing that counts is money. In their perspective, a peasant is not a human being. Evidently their appearance symbolizes the morals of the capitalist system. It is not a coincidence, that in the final scene the gang is crushed by a single peasant with some help of his motor truck. My version of the film has been dubbed in the former German Democratic Republic. Although I prefer subtitles (in the Netherlands we hate to disturb our neighbors), I can live with this. After all they were all Leninist comrades - Russian or not. Oh, and don't forget to check off the "useful: yes" ballot. I love comments.
Review of Kalina krasnaya
