Shapka

A writer gets a fur hat. All could be well but he gets a fur hat of less value than his colleagues. And the wheel starts moving... There are endless schemes, plotting and intriguing to "restore justice". The main character of the film gradually becomes obsessed and goes headlong to his destruction, both moral and social. It is a bitter tale of petty means, poverty and humiliation, envy, struggle and hatred. It is not only a tale of the depravity of socialism, it is a tale of what a person can find when looking into his own soul, into its frightening depths.

"Shapka" is one of the last great Soviet films. It is perhaps the last Russian-language films to boast a truly star-studded cast, including the glorified veterans such as Yevstigneev, Vesnik, Yefremov, Tabakov, Djigarkhanian, Nevinny, Vladimirov, as well as the brilliant Ilyin (then only a newcomer). The acting is superb (it is probably Ilyin's best work), the script is funny and sad at the same time. The film is perfectly paced, very dynamic, and never boring. Besides the high entertainment value, "Shapka" is also philosophical. Despite being set in the 1970's Soviet Union, the story is universally applicable. It is a tale of a conformist, a self-less drone who stubbornly believes in the fairness of the system which ultimately betrays him and destroys him, morally and physically. Overall, an excellent film.