Tretya meshchanskaya (1927)

Authorities assign a third occupant to a couple's small apartment.

Director:

Abram Room

Writers:

Abram Room, Viktor Shklovsky

Stars:

Nikolai Batalov, Lyudmila Semyonova, Leonid Yurenyov

Cast

Credited cast:
Nikolai Batalov	...	Kolia, the husband
Lyudmila Semyonova	...	Liuda, the wife
Leonid Yurenyov	...	The Porter
Vladimir Fogel	...	Volodia, the friend
Yelena Sokolova	...	The Nurse
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mariya Yarotskaya

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

sofa | lamplighter | abortion clinic | railroad | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

1927 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Bed and Sofa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sovkino

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Az orosz és a szovjet némafilm (1989)

User Reviews

kicking the rock

"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.