Zhestokiy romans

This is my favorite movie, the best drama with plot twists and an unpredictable ending.

It must be said that the film is like a multi-layered pie and it reveals new sides with repeated viewings. To understand it fully, you need to know all the nuances of life in Russia in the 19th century.

The film is based on Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry" written in 1870. There is no need to look for any gender issues or struggle for any rights in it. This is the story of the Ogudalov family, who were left without a source of income after the death of their father. The mother of the family is looking for wealthy husbands for her daughters.

Ok, this was my first Soviet-era Russian movie, so it was difficult to assess by my (western) standards. By those standards the characters seemed simplistic and exaggerated, and the screenplay cliché-ridden. Also, by those standards, the cinematography came across as ill-developed for the day.

However, 'Cruel Romance' was something of a revelation for me. Just as the American Dream is expressed repeatedly (ad nauseam?) in Hollywood movies, I had a strong feeling after watching this movie that the 'Russian Dream' had been laid bare for my comprehension at last. The worship of impossible romance combined with blindness to all practical considerations and the expression of that romance in the gift of expensive baubles and other grand gestures are the main threads running through this story. And, despite the fact that 'Cruel Romance' is a Soviet-era depiction of 19th century Tsarist Russia, these are cultural traits to be found in abundance in modern-day Russians. For this reason watching the movie was a treat to me personally, and henceforth I will view my Russian friends and colleagues with a slightly higher degree of understanding.

Also, I hope to see many more Russian movies in the future !

This film has great music, acting and sets. Overall very good adaptation of the play. I enjoyed it immensely.

The film centers around a young woman who comes from a noble family but has no dowry for suitors. It explores the changing situation in the mid 1800s among the classes. At this time there were 3 classes: the nobles, peasants and the emerging raznochintsy class. Many of the characters in the film are from the latter, and the focus upon wealth and social status is apparent.

In summary, this is a great film which really shows the changing social structures of the 1850s Russia. I would highly recommend this film to anybody interested in romance or Russian history.

AKA The Cruel Romance

Absolutely one the the very BEST film ever made. Powerful drama thanks to Orstrovsky, and the amazing director and his heavenly cast. Hail to Alisa Frejndlikh, who appeared in his comedy "The Office Romance". Everyone love movie as a form of art should not miss it.

I read a comment from one of the readers that he has a difficulty understanding the film from the Western point of view. At least this time the viewer admits having problems with crossing the cultural boundary. Film is not riddled with cliches, it`s theatrical and highly artistic. It should be viewed almost as a poem translated into reality. It doest`n ask from actors just stand there and act natural, it asks for a brilliant, almost satirical work, which is performed in this movie perfectly. Realism is not the goal here. And yet, story like that very well could happened at that time, to the smallest details.