10 foreign films, for which tickets in the USSR lined up

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In Soviet times, the inhabitants of the vast country often visited cinemas. Ticket prices were very low, and television was not so often pleased with the showing of good films. On the other hand, good domestic and foreign films were often shown in the cinema. Many of them have not lost their popularity today. Today our selection includes the best foreign films that have become the leaders of the Soviet film distribution.

"Yesenia", 1971

Alfred B. Krevenna's Mexican melodrama broke all records for attendance in the USSR, leaving behind even the undoubted leader of the Russian film Pirates of the Twentieth Century. In total, "Yesenia" in the Soviet Union was watched by 91.4 million people. The touching love story of the girl Yesenia, who by the will of fate found herself in a gypsy camp, was so fond of the viewer that some especially impressionable fans of the Mexican melodrama even began to call their daughters after the name of the main character.

The Magnificent Seven, 1960

Director John Sturges turned Akira Kurosawa's philosophical drama into a true Western. In the Soviet film distribution, the picture was watched by 67 million people. This is a story about seven daredevils who undertook to defend the most ordinary American village from bandits' raids. As a result, only three defenders survived. In the United States, The Magnificent Seven was recognized as culturally, historically and socially significant and included in the country's National Film Register.

McKenna's Gold, 1969

The classic Western directed by Jay Lee Thompson was first shown at the Moscow Film Festival in 1973, and already in 1974 it was released on the screens of the country. The legend of the golden canyon, the search for gold of the Apaches, fights with bandits, beautiful filming and amazing acting, all this worked for the popularity of the film, which was watched by 63 million people in the USSR.

Spartak, 1960

Another American film enjoyed unprecedented success with the Soviet audience. The story of the uprising led by a slave was watched by 63 million Soviet viewers. Film critics in the United States did not express much enthusiasm for the film, and the script and the acting were simply considered weak. In 1991 Stanley Kubrick's film was restored and, unexpectedly for everyone, "Spartacus" became one of the most popular films of that time, even won four Oscars and a Golden Globe.

"White Dress", 1973

The melodrama, directed by Egyptian filmmakers, was watched by 61 million viewers in the Soviet Union. The story of tragic love, the separation of mother and daughter, happily reuniting at the end of the picture, was touching and romantic, and therefore simply could not but please the audience, and especially the spectators in the USSR.

"The Four Musketeers of Charlot", 1974

The French comedy based on the novel by Dumas told, for the most part, not about the Musketeers themselves, but about their loyal servants. It was they who helped their owners to emerge victorious from any troubles. The film, which was released in the Soviet film distribution under the name "The Four Musketeers", was watched by 56.6 million viewers.

"The Taming of the Shrew", 1980

The Italian comedy starring Adriano Celentano and Ornella Muti became a real hit in the box office. Only in cinemas it was watched by 56 million people. The Soviet viewer was shown a somewhat stripped-down version, in which the most piquant scenes were removed. Some lucky ones managed to get a videotape with the full version of the film, albeit in a monophonic translation.

"Winnetu is the son of Inchu-Chun", 1963

Soviet viewers saw the adaptation of Karl May's novel only 12 years after the world premiere. The Western about the struggle of the Apaches was watched by 56 million people. The film was especially popular among boys of all ages, who took the Apaches' defeat to heart and hated their enemies fiercely.

Zorro, 1975

Alain Delon, who played the role of Diego de la Vega, was already very popular before the release of Zorro. In the Soviet Union, the actor had millions of fans, so every film with the participation of the actor invariably attracted full audiences in the country's cinemas. "Zorro" was watched by 55.3 million people. The story of a stranger who administers justice, punishes criminals and helps the weak was simply doomed to success.

Signor Robinson, 1976

The Italian comedy about the adventures of a textile tycoon who got to an uninhabited island was released on Soviet screens in 1979 and immediately became one of the leaders of the box office: it was watched by 52.1 million viewers. The main character, played by Paolo Villaggio, was charming. His attempts to capture the heart of an aboriginal woman sometimes looked so comical that in the auditorium in the cinema it was sometimes impossible to hear the words because of the laughter of the audience.

In our selection were deliberately not included Indian films, the popularity of which in the Soviet Union can hardly be overestimated. Some were watched several times in a row in the cinema, although the plot and the lines of the heroes already knew by heart. Unusual music, bright costumes, many songs and dances literally mesmerized the Soviet audience. Not every domestic film could boast of such success as, for example, "Disco Dancer" or "Zita and Gita".