User Reviews

Musical, comedy. A screen version of the operetta of the same name by the Hungarian composer Imre Kalman, staged by the wonderful Soviet director Yan Borisovich Fried, whose work I really like. I promised myself to see this picture after watching "Pious Martha" and "Don Cesar de Bazana", and now - I fulfill my promise, because I believe that if a man gave his word, then he must fulfill it, otherwise it's not worth taking. Looked - and was satisfied, and here's my brief opinion - Vicissitudes of love against the background of class prejudices. I want to note right away that there are no shortcomings in this picture, and it could not have been, because Yan Borisovich approached his work very responsibly, but there is a small clarification, which I will mention below, but for now, let me focus on the merits of this work by Yan Borisovich ... So, here they are: 1. The story told - the picture tells the love story of the singer of the variety show Silva and the handsome young officer from the noble family Edwin, who, having barely met, falls in love with each other, but one small circumstance prevents their marriage - the fact is that Edwin's father turns out to be an ossified conservative, obsessed with the antiquity of their kind and the "purity of blood" so to speak, therefore, marrying a girl from a different social status is simply unacceptable. Hence the eternal throwing, parting, new meetings and so on. History is more familiar to all of us. The ending is predictable and well played. The classic love story here is wrapped in a historical shell, with music and dancing, which for me, as a fan of the painting "Moulin Rouge" - just brilliance! The script may be simple. 2. Music - the picture is filled with it a little more than completely. The heroes themselves sing, the music sounds in the background, creating the right mood for the viewer, so that it is interesting to watch. I will not say that the music here "explodes the brain", but within the framework of the picture it copes well with its role, because listening to it, I feel that I am in Austria in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, seeing a familiar surroundings. Well, I wanted to dance to some melodies. Yes, and the songs delighted the ear, as well as their brilliant performance! 3. Humor - it is here, and it works great for the characters. There is a satire on high society, given the country of production, but this in no way harms the picture, on the contrary. Several moments made me laugh out loud (the neighbors almost called the police). There is also subtle humor designed for the thinking viewer, there is irony. In short, if you want to laugh - you are here! 4. Entourage - I have already mentioned this, but I simply have no right not to single it out separately. The Austrian Empire, without a clear indication of the year, familiar shape, manners, etc. The scenery, of which there are not very many, the costumes - everything looks great and does not cause the viewer to feel false. My praise to the creators! 5. Wonderful actors - Igor Dmitriev as Edwin's father is just a miracle! Vladimir Basov as General, Pavel Kadochnikov as Ferry, incomparable Mikhail Svetin as Count, and so on. I hope I don't have to speak for their acting talent? Wonderful! Moving on. A little about the main characters: 1. Silva Varescu performed by Zhanna Glebova is a brilliant and famous variety show singer who fell in love with the handsome Edwin. A strong, emotional and simply beautiful girl who wants ordinary human happiness. Jeanne was so convincing and sensual in this role that I had no choice but to say "Bravo!" Bravo! 2. Edwin von Wellerheim performed by Ivars Kalnins is a brilliant young officer, honor and hope of an ancient family, who fell in love with the singer, which smacks of a scandal in "high society". But in the end, he makes the only right decision, having previously gone through the whole series of funny, ironic and even dramatic situations. Ivar looked so convincing in this role that he deserved my applause! 3. Boni Kanchianu performed by Vitaly Solomin - a count, a friend of a couple in love, a playboy and a joker, not devoid of ingenuity and devotion, ready to do anything for the happiness of his friends. After the role of Dr. Watson, it was interesting to see how Vitaly Methodievich would try on a radically opposite image - and it was a success. His Bonnie turned out to be a very memorable hero. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Maybe the actors replay a little, but you know what, against the background of modern inept (hello to Sasha Petrov!) It looks great. The actors are trying, and it shows. They put their soul into the picture. And one more thing - the dramatic moments "did not put the squeeze on", this is clearly visible, honestly. Well, with regard to clarification - the picture needs urgent restoration, in terms of the picture, so for sure, everything is fine with the sound and the re-release in blu-ray format, with additional materials so that a new generation of viewers can get acquainted with this wonderful picture of Soviet production and appreciate it ... So, of all the works of Yan Borisovich that I happened to see, the best and my favorites are "The Bat" and "The Dog in the Manger". As a result, we have an excellent film adaptation of the operetta with a great love story, great songs, music and surroundings, as well as amazing and magnificent acting work.