Great Soviet films...uniting people speaking Russian

During the Soviet Union period, culture especially  Theater  and Film was given much importance by the Soviet Government. There may existed some political constrains. Still, the film makers had enough fund to make anything they imagined/visualized. . There was no problem of box office, compulsions by a producer(businessman/investor) forcing the film maker to commercialize the art (films for money and profit). So great film makers were born in this vast territory starting from Kirghizia and ending in Estonia, with freedom for absolute creativity..

There were many film studios across the vast territory; among them Mos films, Moscow was the most contributing . Here worked great masters like  Sergei M. Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Alexander Dovedenko, Andrey Rublev, etc. Those great masters could create the visual language of cinema.

The film makers and students of the world learned lot of lessons from  great soviet film makers. Andrey Tarkovsky's films were shown many times in small and large film festivals all over the world.

The Russian speaking middle aged  people still watch films by Eldar Ryzanov, Sergey Bondarchuk, Alexiy German, Nikita Mikhalelkov, Andrey Konachalovskyetc. Ryzanov was a super success in box office too with films Irony of fate, Office Romance etc. Nobody can forget the Soviet comedies. Look at the best films chosen by the experts, which I referred from internet resources.

Chosen by 50 Russian specialists, these are the 55 best Russian/Soviet films in the 20th century.

1. Otets Sergiy aka Father Sergius, 1917 (Отец Сергий) – Yakov PROTAZANOV (Яков ПРОТАЗАНОВ)
2. Stachka aka Strike, 1924 (Стачка) – Sergei EISENSTEIN (Сергей ЭЙЗЕНШТЕЙН)
3. Bronenosets Potyomkin aka Battleship Potemkin, 1925 (Броненосец «Потемкин») – Sergei EISENSTEIN (Сергей ЭЙЗЕНШТЕЙН)
4. Po zakonu aka By the Law, 1926 (По закону) – Lev KULESHOV (Лев КУЛЕШОВ)
5. Shinel aka The Overcoat, 1926 (Шинель) – Grigori KOZINTSEV (Григорий КОЗИНЦЕВ), Leonid TRAUBERG (Леонид ТРАУБЕРГ)
6. Tretya Meshchanskaya aka Bed And Sofa, 1927 (Третья Мещанская) – Abram ROOM (Абрам РООМ)
7. Dom na Trubnoy aka The House on Trubnaya Square, 1928 (Дом на Трубной) – Boris BARNET (Борис БАРНЕТ)
8. Potomok Chingis-Khana aka Storm Over Asia, 1928 (Потомок Чингис-Хана) – Vsevolod PUDOVKIN (Всеволод ПУДОВКИН)
9. Oblomok imperii aka Fragments of Empire, 1929 (Обломок империи) – Fridrikh ERMLER (Фридрих ЭРМЛЕР)
10. Putyovka v zhizn aka Road to Life, 1931 (Путевка в жизнь) – Nikolay EKK (Николай ЭКК)
11. Okraina aka Outskirts, 1933 (Окраина) – Boris BARNET (Борис БАРНЕТ)
12. Schastye aka Happiness, 1934 (Счастье) – Aleksandr MEDVEDKIN (Александр МЕДВЕДКИН)
13. Yunost Maksima aka Maxim’s Youth, 1934 (Юность Максима) – Grigori KOZINTSEV (Григорий КОЗИНЦЕВ) Leonid TRAUBERG (Леонид ТРАУБЕРГ)
14. Vesyolye rebyata aka Jolly Fellows, 1934 (Веселые ребята) – Grigori ALEXANDROV (Григорий АЛЕКСАНДРОВ)
15. Chapaevv aka *Chapayev, 1934 (Чапаев) – Sergei VASILIEV (Сергей ВАСИЛЬЕВ) Georgi VASILYEV (Георгий ВАСИЛЬЕВ)
16. Strogiy yunosha aka A Severe Young Man, 1936 (Строгий юноша) – Abram ROOM (Абрам РООМ)
17. Aleksandr Nevskiy, 1938 (Александр Невский) – Sergei EISENSTEIN (Сергей ЭЙЗЕНШТЕЙН)
18. Mechta aka Dream, 1941 (Мечта) – Mikhail ROMM (Михаил РОММ)
19. Mashenka, 1942 (Машенька) – Yuli RAIZMAN (Юлий РАЙЗМАН)
20. Ivan Groznyy I aka Ivan the Terrible Part 1, 1944 (Иван Грозный (1-я серия)) – Sergei EISENSTEIN (Сергей ЭЙЗЕНШТЕЙН)
Ivan Groznyy II: Boyarsky zagovor aka Ivan the Terrible Part 2, 1945 (Иван Грозный (2-я серия)) – Sergei EISENSTEIN (Сергей ЭЙЗЕНШТЕЙН)
21. Zolushka aka Cinderella, 1947 (Золушка) – Nadezhda KOSHEVEROVA (Надежда КОШЕВЕРОВА), Mikhail SHAPIRO (Михаил ШАПИРО)
22. Sorok pervyy aka The Forty-first, 1956 (Сорок первый) – Grigori CHUKHRAY (Григорий ЧУХРАЙ)
23. Karnavalnaya noch aka Carnival Night, 1956 (Карнавальная ночь) – Eldar RIAZANOV (Эльдар РЯЗАНОВ) No English subs.
24. Vesna na Zarechnoy ulitse aka Spring on Zarechnoy Street, 1956 (Весна на Заречной улице) – Marlen KHUTSIEV (Марлен ХУЦИЕВ)
25. Letyat zhuravli aka The Cranes are Flying, 1957 (Летят журавли) – Mikhail KALATOZOV (Михаил КАЛАТОЗОВ)
26. Ballada o Soldate aka Ballad of a Soldier, 1959 (Баллада о солдате) – Grigori CHUKHRAY (Григорий ЧУХРАЙ)
27. Mne dvadtsat let aka I am Twenty, 1964 (Застава Ильича / Мне двадцать лет) – Marlen KHUTSIEV (Марлен ХУЦИЕВ)
28. Devyat dney odnogo goda aka Nine days of one year, 1961 (Девять дней одного года) – Mikhail ROMM (Михаил РОММ)
29. Gamlet, 1964 (Гамлет) – Grigori KOZINTSEV (Григорий КОЗИНЦЕВ)
30. Dobro pozhalovat, ili postoronnim vkhod vospreshchyon aka Welcome, or No Trespassing, 1964 (Добро пожаловать или Посторонним вход воспрещен) – Elem KLIMOV (Элем КЛИМОВ)
31. Andrey Rublyov, 1966 (Андрей Рублев) – Andrei TARKOVSKY (Андрей ТАРКОВСКИЙ)
32. Aybolit-66, 1966 (Айболит – 66) – Rolan BYKOV (Ролан БЫКОВ)
33. Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy aka Asya’s Happiness, 1967 (Асино счастье) – Andrei KONCHALOVSKY (Андрей КОНЧАЛОВСКИЙ)
34. Iyulskiy dozhd aka July Rain, 1966 (Июльский дождь) – Marlen KHUTSIEV (Марлен ХУЦИЕВ)
35. V ogne broda net aka There is no Passage through Fire, 1967 (В огне брода нет) – Gleb PANFILOV (Глеб ПАНФИЛОВ)
36. Korotkie vstrechi aka Brief Encounters, 1967 (Короткие встречи) – Kira MURATOVA (Кира МУРАТОВА)
37. Komissar, 1967 (Комиссар) – Aleksandr ASKOLDOV (Александр АСКОЛЬДОВ)
38. Nachalo aka Debut, 1970 (Начало) – Gleb PANFILOV (Глеб ПАНФИЛОВ)
39. Monolog, 1972 (Монолог) – Ilya AVERBAKH (Илья АВЕРБАХ)
40. Kalina krasnaya aka The Red Snowball Tree, 1973 (Калина красная) – Vasili SHUKSHIN (Василий ШУКШИН)
41. Zerkalo aka The Mirror, 1974 (Зеркало) – Andrei TARKOVSKY (Андрей ТАРКОВСКИЙ)
42. Sto dney posle detstva aka One Hundred Days After Childhood, 1975 (Сто дней после детства) – Sergei SOLOVYOV (Сергей СОЛОВЬЕВ)
43. Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino aka Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, 1977 (Неоконченная пьеса для механического пианино) – Nikita MIKHALKOV (Никита МИХАЛКОВ)
44. Pyat vecherov aka Five Evenings, 1978 (Пять вечеров) – Nikita MIKHALKOV (Никита МИХАЛКОВ)
45. Osenniy Marafon aka Autumn Marathon, 1979 (Осенний марафон) – Georgi DANELIA (Георгий ДАНЕЛИЯ)
46. Okhota na lis aka Fox Hunting, 1980 (Охота на лис) – Vadim ABDRASHITOV (Вадим АБДРАШИТОВ)
47. Polyoty vo sne i nayavu aka Flights in Dream and Reality, 1982 (Полеты во сне и наяву) – Roman BALAIAN (Роман БАЛАЯН)
48. Moy drug Ivan Lapshin aka My Friend Ivan Lapshin, 1984 (Мой друг Иван Лапшин) – Aleksei GERMAN (Алексей ГЕРМАН)
49. Parad planet aka Parade of the Planets, 1984 (Парад планет) – Vadim ABDRASHITOV (Вадим АБДРАШИТОВ)
50. Dni Zatmenija aka The Days Of Eclipse, 1988 (Дни затмения) – Aleksandr SOKUROV (Александр СОКУРОВ)
51. Malenkaya Vera aka Little Vera, 1988 (Маленькая Вера) – Vasili PICHUL (Василий ПИЧУЛ)
52. Astenicheskiy sindrom aka Asthenic Syndrome, 1989 (Астенический синдром) – Kira MURATOVA (Кира МУРАТОВА)
53. Brat aka Brother, 1997 (Брат) – Aleksei BALABANOV (Алексей БАЛАБАНОВ)
54. Okraina aka The Outskirts, 1998 (Окраина) – Piotr LUTSIK (Петр ЛУЦИК)
55. Khrustalyov, mashinu! aka Khrustalyov, My Car!, 1997 (Хрусталев, машину !) – Aleksei GERMAN (Алексей ГЕРМАН)

SOURCE: kinoglaz.fr 

The films highlighted in red are my favourite films , which I saw in Russia. There are many good films produced in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belorussia, Ukraine etc. Even during the high financial crisis for the creative people, great works are coming from Russia, Kazakhstan etc.

The most striking thing is the following: After the collapse of Soviet Union all the former 15 republics drifted away. The young generation who were born after the collapse does not feel anything common among the CIS. But the middle aged and old people are different. They still are enlightened by the Russian culture- cinema, TV shows, opera, ballot. If you just take a survey of TV viewership in CIS, you will find that Russian programmes are mostly preferred across CIS. There may be hatred between the Governments of Russia and Georgia. But Russians still like Georgian wines, Georgian comedies, Drama etc. The same is with Ukraine and Russia.  The West and US will not understand this cultural bond. It is like the bond between  India and Pakistan. Both Indians and Pakisthaneese  like the Hindi and Urudu music, Hindi films etc. The Pakisthan singers have the biggest audience in India. Like wise, Russian Rock, classical music is loved everywhere in CIS. The westerners can not root out such historical bondage. The cultural bondage. The Georgian mineral water is the most precious health drink for every Russians. The Ukrainian wheat and Russian crude oil is the life and butter of the people of these countries. 

Do you people out side this territory understand this?

Do you people understand why Russians freely accommodate their friendly  neighbors from central Asia, Caucasus, the whole Eurasia including Chechen, Tatars?

Underlying  the political-economical-social structure, there is the spiritual roof: Russian language and culture. Like the Urudu-Hindi in Indian Peninsula. 

It is not a cultural subjugation. But a cultural evolution.