Directed by Igor Maslennikov Written by Vladimir Valutskiy Cinematography Yuri Veksler | Produced by Igor Vizgin Music by Vladimir Dashkevich | |
Starring Yelena Safonova
Vitaly Solomin
Ivars Kalniņš
Nina Ruslanova
Larisa Udovichenko
Alexander Lenkov | ||
Winter Cherry (Russian: Зимняя вишня, Zimnyaya vishnya) is a 1985 romantic comedy directed by Igor Maslennikov.
Contents
Plot
The main character of the film is Olga (Yelena Safonova), a beautiful intelligent 30-year-old woman, resident of Soviet Leningrad who is a scientific researcher employed at an institute. She is divorced and is a single mother to her 5-year-old son Antoshka (Mikhail Poduschak). Olga tries to arrange her personal life and longs for happiness which she would attain with a loved one. "Family, just like Homeland has to exist! Otherwise life makes no sense ..! ", – muses the young woman. All her neighbor-friends are likewise unhappy in love; childless kindergarten educator Valya (Larisa Udovichenko) cohabiting with crude hockey player Alexander (Sergey Parshin), accountant of a carpool Larissa (Nina Ruslanova) who is divorced and raises her 5-year-old son Serezha.
Olga loves and is loved, her son Anton is constantly by her side, but her 45-year-old companion is married and does not want to leave his family. Olga's infrequent, hurried meetings with her lover leave the young woman with a bitter aftertaste. Her suitor is a married selfish lover (her colleague from work) Vadim (Vitaly Solomin).
Olga leaves her son for five days at a kindergarten and tries to arrange her life. First off an old bachelor Veniamin (Alexander Lenkov) appears in her life, who is seemingly writing his thesis. In his 36 years, the man has never been married (still lives with his mother), and in general has a very naive view about family life. After their first evening "together", he silently leaves the apartment of Olga, and then she has to urgently pick up Anton from the kindergarten.
Then in the woman's life "prince charming" appears; an imposing Muscovite Gerbert (Ivars Kalniņš), working partially in the city and in Switzerland. He is handsome, intelligent, and well off. Even Larissa who regards all men with severe skepticism thinks that her friend has finally found a real man. When Olga and Anton leave for Moscow together with Gerbert, Vadim finally understands who and what he loses ... Olga gets rid of the prospective groom and returns with Anton and lover to Leningrad. However, the illusion of happiness does not last long. With the hope to find true love and a new father for Anton, Olga again remains alone with his son.
Cast
Facts
The main role was originally to be played Natalya Andrejchenko and Sergey Shakurov. But at the last moment Andrejchenko refused to play and moved to the US with Maximilian Schell, and the role of Olga has been rewritten for Elena Safonova. Shakurov barely starting her acting, also refused to work in the film, and the role of Vadim was approved for Vitaly Solomin, who had spent several years working with the director on the set of films from the series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Nevertheless, in a scene on a fishing trip, where Vadim and Olga kissing, showing legs Shakurov.