Tretya meshchanskaya (1927)Authorities assign a third occupant to a couple's small apartment. Director:Abram Room |
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Tretya meshchanskaya (1927)Authorities assign a third occupant to a couple's small apartment. Director:Abram Room |
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Nikolai Batalov | ... |
Kolia, the husband
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Lyudmila Semyonova | ... |
Liuda, the wife
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Leonid Yurenyov | ... |
The Porter
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Vladimir Fogel | ... |
Volodia, the friend
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Yelena Sokolova | ... |
The Nurse
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Mariya Yarotskaya |
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A married couple have a small apartment in Moscow. When an old friend of the husband's arrives in the city, he is unable to find lodgings. Kolia, the husband, invites his friend to move in with them. While Kolia is away on business, sensual Liuda and attractive Volodia fall in love and have an affair. After his initial outrage, the husband calms down. Kolia winds up on the sofa, and the three settle into a menage-a-trois until the wife finds herself pregnant. The two men are trying to decide what to do, but Liuda is strong enough to make her own decisions. Considered a landmark film because of humor, naturalism, and its sympathetic portrayal of the woman. Written by Fiona Kelleghan <fkelleghan@aol.com>
"Tretya meshchanskaya" (called "Bed and Sofa" in English) is what I would consider the Soviet Union's version of "Some Like It Hot": what it portrays was no doubt really mind-blowing when it was first released, even if it doesn't seem so much nowadays.
The movie portrays Kolya (Nikolay Batalov) and Lyuda (Lyudmila Semyonova) living in a Moscow apartment. Kolya is a mild goof-ball whose proudest feature seems to be his hairy chest, while Lyuda is clearly unfulfilled in life and looks stern all the time. One day, Kolya's war buddy Volodya (Vladimir Fogel) arrives and asks if he can live with them. They agree, but then Volodya does more than eat up his welcome mat! One interesting scene is early in the movie when Volodya kicks a rock into the river. When the rock hits the water, it naturally creates ripples. This may mean that everything's about to get upset. All in all, worth seeing.