FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

GazerRise Fantastic!

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

dlloyd505 Film Review: Cruel Romance Cruel Romance is a 1984 Classic Russian film made in the final years of Soviet Russia. The film stars Larisa Guzeeva as Larisa and Nikita Mikhalkov as Paratov. Larisa is a 19th century noble women that is stuck in the difficult position of trying to pick a suitor that she love while in a society where love a marriage are inextricable linked to one's wealth and the amount of social and capital gain that can be had from arranged marriages. Overall, Cruel Romance is a very enjoyable representation of Russia as it is engulfed in a cultural, social and political flux. We see the influence and variety of the growing middle class, also known as raznochintsy, in Russia as the nobles are making attempts to keep their societal position. Although Cruel Romance ends in despair, we are shown a very detailed and complicated picture of the gender roles, and the rights that accompanied those roles, within Russia during this tumultuous in Russia's history. The film does waver on the side of over dramatic at times; however, the quality of the cinematography and editing overshadows much of the rather corny moments in the film. There are several themes that Cruel Romance seems to repeatedly emphasize throughout the film. One of the subtler, yet consistently emphasized themes throughout the film, is the presentation of women, particularly Larisa, as objects instead of people. Although many would say that this theme is not subtle at all, due to the fact that almost every man that is presented in the film in some way or another tries to purchase the rights to Larisa, there are other aspects of the film that would suggest that women are property to be owned and not people to be won over by love and affection. An aspect that presents this idea, while being largely unannounced, is the fact that we are constantly seeing Larisa through glass. Although some may see this as simple necessity due to space constrictions, in actuality it is meant to have us see Larisa as if she were an item displayed in a shop window. This aspect is finally emphasized in the final moments as we see Larisa sliding across the front of the boat looking at each of her would be buyers through the class, each recognizing her as an item, which cannot be bought. Of coarse, the problem of gender inequality is not a problem that is secular to Russia nor is it a fictional issue. Although it was much worse in the 19th century, gender inequality is still a major issue today. However, Cruel Romance focuses on primarily arranged marriages and the role that a woman or man's dowry played in those marriages. This of coarse was a very real issue in Russia during the 19th century. With the rising raznochintsy class in Russia, we saw a whole new wave of suitors that depended entirely on their economic value due to the fact that they had no official title. This is displayed very well throughout the movie as Larisa is torn between suitors. An almost comical assembly of these suitors is scene towards the end at Larisa's fiancé's dinner party. Overall, I would say if you enjoy tragic romances and would like an interesting look into another culture of the 19th century than Cruel Romance is for you.

IMDbeans Reading some of the user reviews of this film, I just can't keep quiet. Some of the comments really missed the point:"Juliy had no friends at all. He gave a pre-wedding feast at his house and could only find four people to invite, none of whom were his friends" - The film made it clear that he was trying to surround Larisa with high society, not his friends. That was the whole point! He didn't belong in that group."the screenplay cliché-ridden" - not at all. "I was also taken aback by Larissa's easy acquiescence to leaving Juliy for a man, Sergie, who had just ditched her a year ago. She seemed to be resigned to her fate yet raced to get away from Juliy" - Yes, because her mother just made her realize that a marriage with Juliy was going to be a life sentence of misery and shame. On top of that, she is clearly a passionate, spirited girl.I found it to be a beautifully crafted film about passion and the shackles of social convention set in a stunning period and location.

Zen-2-Zen I'll try not to spoil the plot for anyone, especially since while you will guess the direction in which the fate of the heroine is moving you won't guess the final resolution till the last moment.What makes this masterpiece so rare is the confluence of four exceptional artists which allowed unprecedented blending of music into a thriller with well developed characters. Not as a background but as a part of the story. Let's just say that if you skip the lyrics you won't be able to follow the motivation of main characters. This is what allowed it to stand the test of time. I watched it 27 years after it was made and it is as fresh and vibrant as if it was this year's production.First of the four is of course Ostrovsky who wrote a thriller with character development and emotional story that will keep you guessing to the very end even after you know each character, it's motivation, and sometimes even fate. It's close to knowing that is Titanic going to sink but you can't stop watching since it's the "how" and fine grained aspects that really matter.Even without the other cinematic elements the play itself would make for a good movie, but for director (Eldar Ryazanov) this is just the beginning. Ryazanov is the principal artist here who takes the credit not just for the exceptional blending of music but also for making the actual big river (Volga) and an old steamboat integral parts of the story and metaphors. One can easily imagine Missisippy and Jazz instead of Gypsy music, or Danube and a Strauss waltz band without any change to the story. He made conceptual structure completely universal while keeping the full flavor of the old Russia.The composer (Andrei Petrov) is the next artist equally responsible for this rare blend and not just the instrumental part but also vocal, actual poetry used for lyrics and the stylization and blending of Russian Gypsy music.Last but not least - Nikita Mikhalkov as the male lead and the heart and soul of the ensemble who managed to combine tragic, comic and even musical aspects in impeccable performance with surprising facial and physical acting capabilities.This is the ensemble play/film, meaning that most actors had to work hard to make their characters alive, but female lead (Larisa Guzeyeva ) deserves special praise for effective blending of dramatic and musical aspects doubling up as narrative. Also, there are virtually no precision cutting tricks (director cutting into replicas to make it look like less capable actors actually played emotions and transitions). Scenes are mostly filmed in long shots with minimal editing. Just that aspect provides the quality an order of magnitude above a comparable Hollywood production. It's not that it's not doable but that the cost of production would be prohibitively high to reach that level.And in the end I will say (А напоследок я скажу :-) this is one of the films to keep and watch again every several years. Like the big river, it constantly flows, and is constantly fresh.

Jorge Reyes This movie by Eldar Ryazanov surpassed my expectations. It really is quite an experience to see how Larissa's life unfolds; how she is coveted by men old and young, rich and poor... And yet every turn of events leaves a much bitter taste on her. It seems like if tears were a permanent mark of every Russian woman, like if, by definition, no woman would dare to call herself Russian without ever tasting the bitterness of life.Ryazanov is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors. Though here I may be coming late, since he actually achieved fame and glory during Soviet time, a long gone era. Anyway, his "Zhestokij Romans" or "A cruel Romance" tells a tale which seems to me timeless.Consider the plot of a very beautiful young woman, whose life ahead is full of promise.. But consider also that this girl's life is actually torn apart by events which seem (apparently) out of her immediate control, like if fate was conspiring against her at every other corner. Even her mother, willingly or not, at some point "sells" her -though like every other mother she blindly believes doing what's best for her daughter's future. Zhestokij Romans is sinonimous to drama: just watch the final scene, which is so powerful, telling and poetic...I especially enjoyed the Gipsy scenes. All that dancing, joy and vodka were very moving in this film. Just as Yugoslav director Emir Kosturica has immortalised the Gipsy people (i.e. "Underground") we also see in "Zhestokij" droves of joyful Gipsies carrying everywhere they go that sound which is at the same time melancholic and joyous. Some other scenes reminded me of "Svadba" (Pavel Lounguine) a film which also features lots of partying and rivers of vodka despite the imminent disgrace and bitterness of life. I even found some parallels with "Luna Papa" another film from the former Soviet republics in which a young and pretty girl has to rapidly mature and leap from childhood into adulthood.The Gipsy scenes also served as a very effective contrast between joy and doom. While they kept dancing, tragedy was occurring elsewhere. It's like they say: one man's happiness is another man's suffering.That's why I consider this movie to be "Timeless". That's why I consider the last scene a gem of cinema, like anything I've seen before. Our lovely Larissa is embarked in that permanent quest for real love and affection.