OLD HIT

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears 7th November 16:15 LHC 4
Original title: Moskva Slezam ne verit
Country: Soviet Union
Year: 1980
Genre: Drama
Format: DVD
Run time: 150’
Language: Russian with English subtitles

Director:  Vladimir Menshov
Script:  Valentin Chernykh
Cinematographer: Igor Slabnevich
Music: Sergej Nikitin
Art Director: Said Menyalcshikov
Lyrics: Dmitry Sukharev, Yurij Vizbor
Sound producer: Mark Bronshtejn
Production: Ruscico, Mosfilm

Cast: Zoya Fedorova, Viktor Uralskij, Liya Akhedzhakova, Aleksey Batalov, Vera Alentova, Irina Muravieva, Aleksandr Fatyushin, Raisa Ryazanova, Boris Smorchkov, Yurij Vasilev, Natalya Vavilova, Evgeniya Khanaeva, Innokentij Smoktunovskij, Valentina Ushakova, Oleg Tabakov, Leonid Kharitonov, Viktor Lazarev

An Oscar winner for “best foreign film”. This is a melodrama about the life stories of the three girls. Three friends, Antonina, Liudmila and Yekaterina, come to Moscow in search of their dream. Sharing a hostel room, they work and play together. Antonina soon marries a good man and settles down to raise a family. For Liudmila, Moscow is a sort of lottery, in which you have to pick the lucky ticket. She attempts to conquer the big city, but ends up a loser. The life of the third girl, Yekaterina, is a contemporary Cinderella story. She had her share of disappointments, but did not despair. In twenty years she built up a career and became the director of a big enterprise. A single parent of a daughter, she finally meets the right man and, after long and bitter years of loneliness, finds true happiness…

Awards: Grand Prize at the IFF in Portugal, 1980; Oscar for Best Foreign Film, 1980; Saint-Michel Prize for best Actress (Vera Alentova) at the Brussels IFF, 1981

With special thanking to Mosfilm, Mr. K.G Shakhnazarov, Mr. L.V. Vainer and Mr. S. Sergey in granting us the permission to show the film and Mr. Alexey Chemodanov for his assistance.