1. Welcome, or No Trespassing (1964)
Elem Klimov/Mosfilm, 1964
The main and incredibly funny Soviet movie about pioneer camps. Comrade Dynin, the head of a pioneer camp, is a very demanding and accurate man and strictly follows all the rules. He perceives children as young soldiers. One day, Dynin kicks pioneer Kostya Inochkin out of the camp for bad behavior, but he secretly comes back and tries his best to stay "invisible"... with mayhem ensuing!
Watch it here.
2. Three Plus Two (1963)
Genrikh Oganesyan/Gorky Film Studio, Riga Film Studio, 1963
A favorite way for young people to spend summer holidays in the USSR was to have a "wild" vacation by the seaside. Just set up a tent on a random remote beach, swim at your leisure, fish, cook food over the campfire... And, of course, sing songs accompanied by a guitar in the evenings. Well, if three men went on a such “wild” trip and two women are unexpectedly camping nearby, then it is, for sure, the beginning of a great romantic comedy!
Watch it here.
3. Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (1974)
Eldar Ryazanov, Franco Prosperi/Mosfilm, 1974
The grandmother of a young Italian woman on her deathbed in the hospital reveals a secret - she has a treasure trove of family jewels “hidden under a lion” in St. Petersburg. This intriguing secret is overheard by two other Italians and a gangster working for the mafia. Together, they go on a treasure hunt in the USSR. However, they don't yet know that there are a huge number of “lions” in St. Petersburg and many adventures await them in the Soviet Union.
This is one of the first joint Soviet-Italian movies. It was released in 1974 and became a truly international hit.
Watch it here.
4. Be My Husband (1981)
Alla Surikova/Mosfilm, 1981
A pediatrician (played by the brilliant Andrei Mironov) goes to the sea on a vacation. But, the hotels are all overbooked. At the train station, he accidentally meets a woman with a child, who has found a bed & breakfast private accommodation, but the landlady refuses to accept tenants with children. So, the pediatrician and the lady decide to pretend to be a married couple, so that they are allowed to sleep overnight. And we all know how such “fake” romances usually end up in the movies...!
Watch it here.
5. Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967)
Leonid Gaidai/Mosfilm, 1967
Director Leonid Gaidai's eccentric cult comedy was a box office smash in 1967. Student Shurik goes to the Caucasus as an ethnographer to collect folklore artifacts. The locals offer him to spice up his scientific curiosity and take part in the most exotic local tradition - stealing a bride! But, the woman in question turns out to be "a student, a Komsomol member and just a beauty"; in other words, a Soviet girl who does not fit the role of a victim in any way.
Watch it here.
6. Striped Trip (1961)
Vladimir Fetin/Lenfilm, 1961
A Soviet cargo ship is leaving from the port of some exotic country and heading back to the USSR. A barman from the Soviet trade mission is eager to get on board, as he wants to go home, not being able to handle the hot climate. To get on board, he pretends to be a tiger tamer... as the ship is shipping them to the Moscow Zoo. Along the way, Shakespearean passions develop aboard...
Watch it here.
7. Sportloto-82 (1982)
Leonid Gaidai/Mosfilm, 1982
Another colorful movie about Soviet vacationers. In a coupe of a train heading to the sea, four people are reading the same detective book. While reading with enthusiasm, one of the protagonists accidentally eats all the food of one of his fellow female travelers. And, to make amends, he gives her a ‘Sportloto’ lottery ticket. She crosses out the numbers and puts the ticket in a book. Later, it turns out to be the winning ticket. But, she’s put it in someone else's copy of the book...
Watch it here.
8. Formula of Love (1984)
Mark Zakharov/Mosfilm, 1984
"Master of secret forces" and famous adventurer Count Guiseppe Cagliostro is hiding from authorities in the country estate of one of his rich clients. The magician shows the simple-minded nobles from the village some of the most different tricks, causing a frenzied delight. The only thing he fails is to win the love of the landlord's daughter...
The script of the movie was written by famous satirist Grigory Gorin, so many of the lines became everyday idioms, still popular today!
Watch it here.
9. Love & Pigeons (1985)
A dreamy man makes his down-to-earth wife terribly angry by spending all his money on setting up a dovecote (a structure intended to house pigeons or doves). His family life begins to fall apart and he leaves the village alone for a vacation by the sea. At the resort, he has an affair with an intelligent young lady and leaves his wife for her. But, will the village man be able to get along with the urban "bimbo"?
This comedy was directed by Vladimir Menshov, who earlier won an Oscar for the legendary movie ‘Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears’ (1980).
Watch it here.
10. One Hundred Days After Childhood (1975)
The drama of first love is unfolding in a pioneer camp. Teenagers put on an amateur performance, in which all non-childish feelings are splashed out.
And all this happens amongst the scenery of an old manor and under the guidance of a tutor, who’s main occupation is sculptor and teaches teenagers how to learn to love art.
Sergei Soloviev's dramedy won the ‘Silver Bear’ at the Berlinale, as well as several other international prizes.
Watch it here.
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